Has anyone heard that Beowulf is to be made into a movie? They already have previews on Youtube about it (the 2nd Trailer is by far the best) if you want to check it out.

I found out today that the whole darn movie is going to be CGI, which disappoints me in a way. I haven't read the book yet, but i plan on it. I read somewhere that Tolkien read it too.

~Cap

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"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls"
~C.S. Lewis

Oh, Tolkien definitely read it. I love that poem/ballad/story. There's so much in there that reminds me of LotR.

And it was something that inspired Tolkien in LotR, so of course it's great.

However, I'm not so keen on the movie--I'm a little doubtful about how good it's going to be.

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I've seen one of the trailers, and I probably won't be seeing the movie anytime soon. I thought the poem/story was great, but the movie... I don't know. Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mother? Strange.

tolkien not only read it, he also lectured on it (his lecture the monsters and the critics, later published as an essay, completely revolutionised the way beowulf was studied) and he translated it (he wrote a complete prose translation and a partial verse translation and there are plans to publish them, which i am very very excited about)


yeah, there are definitely a lot of comparison to be drawn. maybe we should start a thread on that...


anyway, back on topic...i absolutely adore the poem of beowulf and have done since i was seven. i own four different translations of it (two verse and two prose), i have a copy in the original old english (which i hope to translate myself, using my old english dictionary and my knowledge of old english grammar), i have written a 2500 word essay in the role of women in beowulf, i have read several books written about beowulf (including tolkien's the monsters and the critics), and i could talk about it forever. in other words, i'm a fan. HOWEVER, i am not happy about the film.

obviously i haven't seen it yet, so i can't really pass a fair judgement, but already there seem to be several major issues:
- grendel's mother is meant to be a monster and the personification of evil, NOT a seductive temptress (as she is portrayed in the film). beowulf's downfall was his pride and greed, not his lust.
- i read somewhere that anthony hopkins was playing "the corrupt king hrothgar" but hrothgar was NOT corrupt. in fact, the poem decribes him as "the noble hrothgar; he was a good king" (line 862, heaney translation)
- i have yet to hear mention of bewoulf's battle with the dragon, arguably the most important as it is in that encounter that beowulf's flaws are revealed and he becomes more than just your standard hero

i swear everytime i read/hear/see anything about the beowulf film steam starts spurting from my ears and, i go bright red, and experience an uncontrollable urge to scream. beowuf is easily one of the greatest works of literature ever produced, and i can't believe hollywood has had the audacity to ruin it in this way. grr, it makes me so mad!

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I'm suspicious about the CGI. *is suspicious* And if what you say is true, ethelfleda, than that is beyond pathetic and the producers should be punished.
But I do think it's kind of an interesting idea for a movie. Unique, anyway.

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- married fingon fingolfinion 6/4/13 -
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I'm hopefully going to see it on Friday. I can't wait.

I wanted to see the Beowulf and Grendel live action with Gerard Butler, but it was never released in the theaters here to my knowledge. I'll have to invest in the dvd at some point.

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It reminds me of Shrek because of its CGI. It looks a little too "inappropriate" for my blood, however, to see in theaters. I can't wait for those fight scenes though.

I'm going to read the book first. Then probably grab the DVD.

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"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls"
~C.S. Lewis

It looks nothing like Shrek. The CGI is incredibly life like.
I'd say it shares more in common with Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within in terms of visual style at least.

I have to ask.
Will watching it on DVD make it more appropriate for you to watch?

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FF:The Spirits Within does look like Beowulf in terms of CGI quality, but it actually looks like Beowulf won't be so enjoyable. Which is sad, since I didn't particularly like Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

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In theators you don't have the option of fast-forwarding.

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"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls"
~C.S. Lewis

So...what's the point in watching it on dvd. If all you're going to do is fast forward past parts, which may be viable to the story?

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Lets jsut get one thing straight. Every review etc. that you read will not have correct information, and therefore, things such as "corrupt king hrothgar" is not necesarily how it will be in the movie. I have read many article from prominent writers, saying everything from "Frodo is a girl" to "Faramir and Aragorn are wedded." Ok?

I saw the trailer, went "dang, their going to ruin the book" and asked some fo my friends if they were interested in going to see it with me when it came out.

I have never read the book(prose/poem w.e), and I plan to within the next few months, have been for a while. But, they never get movies based on books right. Every person has a different impression of a character, how this line is said, how they act this way and move there. It will never be perfect unless you yourself direct it.

It will be all CGI, but it incredibly life like, having seen the trailers a few times. Most people thought it was real when I showed it to them, so dont expect some Shrek styled thing, this is way more life like than that movie.

We can all say the exact same thing about LotR, Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, and any other thing changed from a book into a movie. Thousands upon thousands of fans rebelled agains the idea of PJ making a LotR into a movie. Movies will never eve be as good as the books. EVER. So go in with some expectations, main plot points, characters, scenery etc. But dont hold them to keep every line. It's impossible unless you are willing to sit through a 10+ hour movie.

Don't go attacking any of the writers, or the directors or anything, this is their interpretation of this book, and they are free to do with it what they will. I understand that you are angry, or may become angry about the way that they treated it, but you know what? Somethings in life are not going to happen the way you want them to, and maybe this is one of them.

Personally, I want to see it, it will be most interesting, and to be able to critique it, and then read the book and say "wow, the book was way better', will be most excellent.

i just need to get one thing off my chest - IT'S NOT A BOOK!!! beowulf is a POEM. it's occasionally translated into prose, but it was originally written in verse (in alliterative verse, to be exact). sorry, but i've heard far too many people calling it a book recently.

and i realise that this is the writers'/director's interpretation, but that doesn't mean i have to like it. for that matter, i still don't like PJ's lotr...or the bbc's dracula...or itv's frankenstein...

and i understand that everyone will have their own take on the poem, but the changes they appear to have made aren't just a case of someone having a slightly impression of a character or how they say something. ok, so the "corrupt king hrothgar" bit could be a mistake, but they've certainly turned grendel's mother from a monster into a sexy temptress. that is not just a different take on the poem, it's a hugely dramatic change which is clearly down to the producers going with the theory that sex sells. it completely changes the tone and theme of the film, and that is what i most object to.

i know it's entirely a matter of opinion, and some people may like the changes they've made, but i've loved beowulf for 12 years now and it's come to mean a lot to me, so to me any change will be for the worse.

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*rapturous applause*

How can you tell if you're going to like or dislike varitations from the original source material, unless you actually see the movie for yourself?

I could have easily done that with LotRs. But I gave it a chance and it's still my favourite movie of all time (Yes...I look at the movie trilogy as a complete work ). Not that I'm saying that'll happen for you,when or if you see the Beowulf movie ethelfleda. But without watching it, how can you judge it properly?


P.S. The dragon is in the movie. You see it numerous times in the trailers.

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i too gave the lotr movies a chance, i just happen not to like them.

i do realise that i can't make a proper judgement without having seen the film - i said that in my first post - but given that the film was only released today, i haven't been able to see it yet. i will watch it though.

i'm not saying i won't like the film as a film, but the whole grendel's mother issue alone is enough to assure me that i will not like it as an adaptation of the poem. i am purist, and as such i object on principle to any deviations from the original.

it's impossible for you to understand just how much beowulf means to me, but it completely changed my life as it is the root of my passion for the english language and its literature, which has long been a driving force in my life. because it means so much to me, i feel very protective of it, and i don't like to see it messed with.

and i did notice that the dragon was in the trailer, but my point (although i didn't explain it very well) was that none of the written publicity or interviews i've come across mention it (even the synopsis on the official site doesn't mention the dragon), which leads me to question how much emphasis will be placed on it in the film. it may be that the dragon's role is sufficient, and it won't be a problem, it's just a concern that i have at this point in time.

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**MY BOOK**

~ proud to be a shieldmaiden for christ ~</center>

Personally I think you need to ignore reviews and so forth.

As for your love of Beowulf, I can believe it. I'm not saying you don't have a passion for it, I can sense it in your posts. I feel very much the same way about Lord of the Rings. I was a long time reader before I'd even heard about PJ getting to make it. So I was a little hesitant. But where you and I differ is I loved his adaptation and you didn't. I can respect that totally.

I understand that it's only just released, so until you see it you can't make a proper judgement on it. Maybe I won't even enjoy the movie after seeing it.

For me though a book (or in my case comic books) is one thing. No matter how a movie adaptation is, it cannot take away from the beauty and purity of the original source material. You'll always have that to read back on, no matter wether you enjoy an adaptation or not. Those written words remain with you forever. Movies come and go.
Some people, like with LotRs, may go to see Beowulf and come out wanting to read the original material. Surely that in itself is a positive thing?

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