Beowulf: Director's Cut on Blu-ray Disc Review by Brandon A. DuHamel on BigPictureBigSound

Blu-ray Disc and DVD : Blu-ray Disc Reviews

Published: 2008-10-03 - 09:00:27

Beowulf: Director's Cut on Blu-ray Disc Review

By Brandon A. DuHamel

The Film

Kudos must go out to Robert Zemeckis for taking this 9th century Anglo-Saxon epic poem that I had to suffer through in my 9th grade English class -- in both Old and Modern English, I might add -- and turning it into something a bit less ponderous. Loosely basing the film on the epic, Zemeckis' film tells the tale of the hero Beowulf (Ray Winstone) who comes to the rescue of Danish King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife, the Queen Wealthow (Robin Wright Penn) whose kingdom is tormented by the monster Grendel (Crispin Glover). Beowulf slays the beast, but then must kill Grendel's mother (Angelina Jolie) and finally, after inheriting Hrothgar's throne, he must also slay a mighty dragon (also Winstone).

Screenwriters Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary have taken many liberties with the original text in their adaptation. Grendel's mother is no longer just another generic monster that Beowulf must slay, but a seductive siren out to avenge the death of her son and wielding the power to control the destiny of a kingdom. The dragon becomes a shape shifter out for revenge and more humanized. Although the reasons behind Beowulf's battles are explored a little more than they are in the original source material, this version of Beowulf is ultimately about action and the fighting and on that it delivers a bundle.

The film also offers fine voice acting from the main actors, including Anthony Hopkins, and, most noticeably, Roy Winstone whose turn as Beowulf is truly powerful. But, alas, discussion of this film cannot take place without mention of the motion capture technique used to create it. Filming the action entirely in a green screen space with the actors outfitted in motion sensors, Beowulf's end result is completely computer generated animation. Its animation, however, is that which seeks to be as close to realistic as possible. There is no denying that Robert Zemeckis and the visual effects crew that worked on Beowulf achieved something grand with this film, pushing the boundaries of CGI, but there is still something unsettling about watching the byproduct of their labor.

There are moments in Beowulf, when there is just the right shading and light that one could almost be fooled into believing it is a performance by live people on the screen. Mostly, however, characters' motions are slightly off and their eyes soulless. Technology has come a very long way, but it still cannot fool the human brain into missing the visual cues that let you know something is just not right with what you are seeing. People are walking, but they sort of float; their eyes drift creepily -- almost realistic, but not quite. I'm not against the technologies of CG animation and motion capture outright by any means. When used appropriately, I believe they can yield marvelous results. Take your pick from the wealth of Pixar films for any number of fine examples of CG animation. Motion capture was used to great effect in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy to animate the character of Golum, but when it attempts to emulate the real world is when it falters.

The Picture

Beowulf was taken straight from the digital source and appears on this Blu-ray release in an AVC/MPEG-4 encoding of its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio that shows no artifacts whatsoever. The film's palette of warm, glowing fire lit mid tones and gloomy overcast skies is brought forth in an unsullied rendering. Shadow details are perfect, particularly in the scenes taking place in the mead hall or in the lair of Grendel's mother. Video noise is also noticeably absent, which is all the more amazing in the darker, under water scenes where Beowulf confronts the sea monsters or again when he confronts Grendel's mother. This is an absolutely stunning video presentation that anyone would be hard pressed to find fault with.

The Sound

Offering up an English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless option as well as French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 options, Beowulf comes with a remarkable lossless mix that fittingly compliments its spectacular video presentation. With incredible low frequency extension and natural high frequencies, Beowulf rattles the floorboards with an aggressive mix that creates a truly engrossing and surprisingly believable 360-degree soundfield. The dialogue never gets lost in the presence of the relentless sound effects either, as the center channel is used effectively as are the two left and right front channel, sometimes employed for some directional following of the onscreen action. You can add Beowulf to the ever-growing list of reference quality material to show off your sound system.

The Extras

Beowulf is loaded with high definition and BonusView extras that explore the technical aspects of the film's motion capture animation technique. The BonusView feature In the Volume offers an interesting look at the actual process in a comparative manner using picture-in-picture playback. Fans of animation are sure to be pleased with the level of in-depth analysis on this highly technical process.

The extras available on this release are:

In the Volume -- Those with BonusView (Profile 1.1) enabled Blu-ray players will be able to see the motion capture process at work in a picture-in-picture frame during the film's playback as the actors perform in the sprawling green screen set.
A Hero's Journey: The Making of Beowulf with optional interactive version (1.78:1/high definition/AVC) -- In this making-of featurette, director Robert Zemeckis and the rest of the filmmaking crew take you inside what they dubbed "The Volume", the vast green screen set that was built specifically for the motion capture filming of this movie. With the optional interactive mode engaged, viewers can also select further, more detailed segments that go into depth on the various techniques and technologies being used, such as T-poses, etc.
The Journey Continues (1.78:1/high definition/AVC) -- The optional materials from the interactive version of the making-of featurette can be played back separately.
Beasts of Burden: Designing the Creatures of Beowulf (1.78:1/high definition/AVC/Dolby Digital 5.1) -- From this behind-the-scenes featurette, one can really get a sense at how enthusiastic the visual effects team are about their work as they discuss the inspirations behind the designs for creatures that feature so prominently in Beowulf.
Creating the Ultimate Beowulf (1.78:1/high definition/AVC/Dolby Digital 5.1) -- In this brief, 2-minute featurette, the filmmakers laud the ability through the motion capture method to make actor Ray Winstone look like he has the body of a god.
The Art of Beowulf (1.78:1/high definition/AVC/Dolby Digital 5.1) -- The production design of Beowulf is examined.
A Conversation with Robert Zemeckis (1.78:1/high definition/AVC/ Dolby Digital 5.1) -- In a question and answer session at the University of Southern California from 2007, the director answers many questions related to the motion capture process employed in the production of Beowulf.
Deleted Scenes (2.35:1/standard definition) -- Although labeled as HD on the packaging, these eleven deleted scenes are actually un-rendered animatics in standard definition.
Theatrical Trailer (2.35:1/high definition/AVC/Dolby Digital 5.1) -- The original theatrical trailer.

Final Thoughts

Robert Zemeckis managed to take the stuff of my 9th grade English class torture and turn it into something a bit less loathsome, even if not quite a masterpiece. I still find it a little creepy watching these motion-captured "pseudo-humans" perform onscreen with their soulless eyes and not quite realistic motions, but it is still quite an achievement. This Blu-ray Disc release of Beowulf is so spectacularly rendered both visually and aurally, it is difficult to not recommend it to anyone.

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