Beowulf Director's Cut [HD DVD] :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

THE BEST MOVIE EVER!!!

2008-09-07
This movie deserves more credit than so many people give it. True, sometimes it strays from the book (a lot), but the story is great, the casting is excellent, and the animation (yes, it's animated) sometimes makes me confused with live acting, it's so good. It's like the animation from a Shrek movie, except at LEAST twice as good. The deleted scenes aren't as good as the movie itself, but at least they are half-animated, instead of stretching a couple of sketches into a 5-10 minute scene. Overall, I'm proud to have bought what is (to me, at least) the GREATEST movie of all time.

Lame

2008-09-02
Great visuals, but a long boring film. Bought it based off hype, won't make that mistake again.

If you can get past the strobe lights during the Grendall attack, you might like it.

2008-09-02
At least you may find it intriguing. As an English Lit geek, I've always wanted to see Beowulf as film. I knew it would be gory, but I told my husband that he could turn it off during the attack scenes. He wanted to go into it a little further before giving up and I'm glad we did. Besides having an old classic remade into a movie, the making of it was even more impressive.
If you didn't like the actual movie, go into the extra features and see how it was made...Impressive!

Great Movie

2008-09-02
This is a great movie, the only thing was i had to change my blu-ray players settings in order to watch the movie. I found out that the movie will not play on the 24p setting you must change it to the 60p setting in order to watch it. Other then that I would recommend this, great graphics, digitally enhanced people and good special effects made it a good buy for me.

An Epic Performance

2008-09-01
This was a fascinating, epic performance of perhaps the most thrilling epic poem in all of western literature.

While the original poem is left far behind, with Grendel's mother posing as an evil seductress who tempts Beowulf with riches and fame if she will merely mate with him, the flavor of the original remains.

Interesting to me was the juxtaposition of Christian imagery, with a reference to Jesus Christ which is not present in the poem, against traditional pagan mythology of monsters, dragons, and superhuman feats. While Beowulf the poem does feature (exclusively Old Testament) biblical allusions and implies knowledge of Christianity (references to heaven, hell and final judgment, metaphor of the dragon as Satan), it is not a Christian poem.

The movie appears to try to point out, and the likely case, that Beowulf was written at a time when Christian theology was only beginning to become known in 6th century Denmark, and somewhat better known in 8-10th century England. So Christian references appear alongside proclamations of allegiance to Odin, and acknowledgment of Roman gods as simply another possible ally.

Beowulf himself appears as a savior, who is greatly tempted by Grendel's mother with promises of eternal fame and fortune, and peace, if she will only provide him a son and the dragon-mead flask. Ultimately, Beowulf realizes her promise to be an empty one, and that morality cannot be supplanted by convenience; thus he goes to fight the dragon -- and his own son -- and ultimately is killed himself.

The animation is slightly less wooden than in Polar Express. But it works better here, for the characters appear stoic in their relationships and bravery. Anthony Hopkins is brilliant as Hrothgar; Angeline Jolie less so as Grendel's mother.

I do recommend this film to anyone; especially if you have just read the poem, or are about to do so.

Angelina Jolie rules men even in digital form

2008-08-30
BEOWULF (HD DVD) (DVD HD)

Beowulf

2008-08-29
It was a great elaboration of something every student has to read in school. Visualizing the monsters was difficult from the reading, it was nice to see them. The computer method for creating this movie was fascinating to learn about and may be a future trend.

Hail Beowulf

2008-08-23
I enjoyed this movie simply for the story telling and the magic effects, excellent attention to detail. A must for fans of sword and fanstasy

a story long retold, but here in a great new way

2008-08-18
This has got to be one of the best HD DVD's I own. The story of Beowulf is well known, and most high school students have read back during my time. This is a great animated version that features stars like Angelina Jolie and Anthony Hopkins. The HD Version is crisp and well worth the extra expenditure of cash. The story is very simple to follow, of a King who has brought a curse upon the Danish Kingdom, and the hero Beowulf comes to save him. However, the boisterous Beowulf gets caught up in his own image and by saving the kingdom may also bring it's demise. Can Beowulf redeem himself. It is a lesson in humility and following through. Watch the movie to see how this story is going to play out, and be amazed by the realistic graphics also.

why mess with a great story?

2008-08-17
once again, the movie writer has taken this wonderful old story, honed for years by telling, then written down in beautiful poetry, and changed it. what arrogance! beowulf kills grendel. he then uses a sword from grendel's mother hoard to kill her. he later becomes king of his own country, the geats. he kills a dragon with the help of a young wiglof, but dies of his wounds and is cremated and buried in a barrow with the cursed dragon's gold. a super story, much beloved. so why do we have grendel's mother surviving? why add in sex and half demon children with hrothgar and beowulf? why make him king of the danes? i enjoyed this movie, i have to admit. the animation and language and music were stunning. oh, but if only they had stuck to the real story.