Tango
As my chemistry lecturer used to say:
Patience is a virtue,
Have it if you can --
Seldom found in Woman,
Never found in Man.
Patience not being my forte, I gave up my all-too-virtuous plans to wait until after I've finished my thesis to watch "Beowulf & Grendel". So, here are my impressions in a few points.
This is possibly one of the most "Xena"-like films I've ever seen -- and I loved every minute of it! It had a central moral dilemma, meditations on the cycle of violence, the conflict between belief in the old gods and the rise of monotheism, gorgeous landscapes, humour, action... In fact, the only thing that would have made it better would be, well, Xena.
But in the absence of Lucy Lawless, Gerard Butler's Beowulf made a decent stab at the role of the conflicted hero.
Pros:
- The dialogue. A bizarre mixture of the epic poem with colloquial language and Viking-worthy jokes about beer and sex with sheep (...and not just sheep).
- The central dilemma and the conflicted hero: the 'cycle of violence' is a theme that is simple and folkloric, but it is also sadly modern.
- The witch as a sort of prehistoric post-teenage outcast, complete with dreadlocks and "if looks could kill" eyes.
- The troll.
Cons:
- Editing. Some really strange choices there, with scenes ending abruptly or without any obvious connection to the next scene. Not a major problem, though.
- The "love scene". Not shot terribly well, to put it mildly, but entertaining for all the wrong reasons.
Overall, it was a terrific film and I'm thoroughly glad I gave in to my impatient self and watched it. Now, I just have to stop myself from watching it again.
Patience is a virtue,
Have it if you can --
Seldom found in Woman,
Never found in Man.
Patience not being my forte, I gave up my all-too-virtuous plans to wait until after I've finished my thesis to watch "Beowulf & Grendel". So, here are my impressions in a few points.
This is possibly one of the most "Xena"-like films I've ever seen -- and I loved every minute of it! It had a central moral dilemma, meditations on the cycle of violence, the conflict between belief in the old gods and the rise of monotheism, gorgeous landscapes, humour, action... In fact, the only thing that would have made it better would be, well, Xena.
But in the absence of Lucy Lawless, Gerard Butler's Beowulf made a decent stab at the role of the conflicted hero.Pros:
- The dialogue. A bizarre mixture of the epic poem with colloquial language and Viking-worthy jokes about beer and sex with sheep (...and not just sheep).
- The central dilemma and the conflicted hero: the 'cycle of violence' is a theme that is simple and folkloric, but it is also sadly modern.
- The witch as a sort of prehistoric post-teenage outcast, complete with dreadlocks and "if looks could kill" eyes.
- The troll.
Cons:
- Editing. Some really strange choices there, with scenes ending abruptly or without any obvious connection to the next scene. Not a major problem, though.
- The "love scene". Not shot terribly well, to put it mildly, but entertaining for all the wrong reasons.
Overall, it was a terrific film and I'm thoroughly glad I gave in to my impatient self and watched it. Now, I just have to stop myself from watching it again.