Beowulf And Grendel on DVD (2005)

A customer from Coventry UK , 08/07/2007

A great film that sticks quite closely the the original Anglo-Saxon saga.

The film is very atmospheric with great action sequences, brilliant costumes and props and a decent cast who really bring this Nordic tale to the screen with style. If, like me, you love Historical epics then make sure you rent this one then sit back and enjoy being transported through the mists of time to a legend and myth from the Dark-ages.

  34 out of 39 people found this review helpful

Read all reviews

A customer from Church Fenton, N.Yorks , 17/12/2007

Looks as though some people got the wrong end of this stick with this one... NO, it's not the 2007 CGI-fuelled Beowulf (which I haven't seen but which looks like the worst of Hollywood to me), and yes, some of the accents are somewhat confused (all-too-Canadian Sarah Polley's Irish witch raises a smile or two), but this film is getting murdered by many reviewers on here - in my opinion - quite unduly.

Whilst slipping under the radars of big distributors and thus not making theatres, Beowulf and Grendel still manages never to feel like the tv movie it could've been. This is probably due in no small part to the stunning, otherwordly Icelandic locations and a gritty cast and costumery. The arms and armour are authentic, as are the sets (Hrothgar's smokey feasting hall exactly as imagined in the epic poem), and the viewer is left with a sense of peering through a cold and austere window in time, into the true 'Dark Ages'.

Ultimately this film's theme is one of realism; that of the lives of the people and of how they perceived their world. That is to say (and trust me - no 'spoilers' here as this is dealt with in the opening frames of the film), there ARE no monsters or trolls, only age-old prejudices against that which is different.

No cast-of-thousands here, no multi-million dollar SFX and no brooding Russell Crowes... just an honest and decently-told tale that will appeal to fantasy fiction fans and history buffs alike. DEFINITELY worth a look.

  22 out of 22 people found this review helpful

Read all reviews

brian green from scotland [Highly rated reviewer] , 13/07/2007

awful movie, think the 13th warrior on a budget of two pence & you have it in a nutshell, some really bad rubber suited costumes for the trolls & some really lousy dialogue for the 'heroes'. i cannot imagine they would call a troll a 'prick' somehow. as for the accents dont even go there eh. a danish witch with a new york accent :-)) ... pants movie!!!

  21 out of 26 people found this review helpful

Read all reviews

carver [Highly rated reviewer] , 14/11/2007

its quite a good movie some good action good storeylines.

  16 out of 19 people found this review helpful

Read all reviews

brian green from scotland [Highly rated reviewer] , 13/07/2007

awful movie, think the 13th warrior on a budget of two pence & you have it in a nutshell, some really bad rubber suited costumes for the trolls & some really lousy dialogue for the 'heroes'. i cannot imagine they would call a troll a 'prick' somehow. as for the accents dont even go there eh. a danish witch with a new york accent :-)) ... pants movie!!!

  21 out of 26 people found this review helpful

Read all highest rated reviews

A customer from Stoke-on-Trent , 18/03/2008

NOT to be confused with the more recent movie 'BEOWULF' with Angelina Jolie & Ray Winstone!

This is a slightly older, less fast-paced movie. Much more accurate to the true Beowulf story and concentrates more on the story, beautiful scenery and characters of the time (although Gerard Butler's Scottish accent spoils things a bit!)

You'll enjoy this if you like real stories, myth and legend.

Not for people wanting an action-packed, bloodthirsty popcorn flick.

  2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

Read all highest rated reviews