Review of
Beowulf:
Director’s Cut DVD version
Five out of five stars
Beowulf is an
ancient English epic poem of over 3,000 lines that is known as having been first
written down sometime between 975 and 1025 CE. It is set in Scandinavia, a land
of bitter cold, mountains, moors and mysteries. Beowulf is a traditional hero,
coming to the aid of a king and kingdom besieged by a hideous monster,
defeating it in battle and then being hailed as a hero.
When the original
story opens, the mead hall of Hrothgar, King
of the Danes, is attacked by the monster Grendel. Beowulf vows to kill the
monster, which he does. Enraged by the death of her son, Grendel’s mother seeks
revenge, and in a second titanic battle, Beowulf succeeds in killing her as
well.
Beowulf then
returns to his own kingdom and assumes the position of king. Fifty years later,
a dragon becomes enraged when a gold cup is stolen from its’ lair. It emerges
and begins burning everything it encounters. Beowulf and his warriors come to
fight the dragon and Beowulf insists that he carry on the battle alone. Outmatched,
Beowulf is losing the fight until his warrior friend Wiglaf
disobeys orders and assists Beowulf. The dragon is killed, but Beowulf is
mortally wounded, and the story ends with his funeral pyre burning.
The producers take some significant poetic license
with the original story, specifically in the rendition of the battle between
Beowulf and Grendel’s mother and Beowulf’s ascension to the throne. Yet, this
is another demonstration of how the old epic poems of heroism can be made into
quality modern movies.
It is unfortunate that Beowulf is not given
more attention in K-12 English classes, for it is the northern European
equivalent to the Iliad of Homer. With this movie as an educational aid, it will
be much easier to generate interest among the students in this key element of
Western Civilization.
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