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Robert ZemeckisKamera:
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Alan SilvestriBesetzung:
Ray Winstone, Angelina Jolie, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover, Anthony Hopkins, Alison Lohman, John Malkovich, Sebastian Roché, Robin Wright (mehr)Streaming (4)
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Der Hof von König Hrothgar wird vom grausamen Grendel terrorisiert. Verzweifelt verspricht Hrothgar demjenigen die Hälfte der königlichen Schatzkammer, der das Ungetüm tötet. Auch der bekannte Krieger Beowulf mit seiner rechten Hand Wiglaf und seinen Kriegern reist an, um sich der Herausforderung zu stellen. Was sie zu diesem Zeitpunkt noch nicht wissen: Hrothgars Herrschaft ist mit einem Fluch verbunden ... (ProSieben)
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Visuell ist der Film in allen Hinsichten überwältigend. Die Musik von Alan Silvestri ist ausgezeichnet – die überwältigenden Töne sowie die düstere Musik in Angelinas Höhle. Die Atmosphäre des Films ist sehr intensiv, ein großes Plus ist die Gewalt, der Sex und der gesamte erwachsene Charakter. Diese Aspekte machen aus Die Legende von Beowulf einen originellen Animationsfilm. Er ist deutlich unterhaltsamer als Der Polarexpress. Es gibt hier aber ein großes Aber… Die digitalen Bilder haben einfach kein Herz, egal, wie sehr sie sich bemühen. Wenn nicht gerade Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie oder ein Monster zu sehen sind, ist der Film uninteressant. Wenn Zemeckis das Herz der digitalen Animation beherrschen würde, könnte er Pixar übertreffen. Bis jetzt ist es ihm aber nicht gelungen.
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Die Action-Sektionen erinnern an ein leicht überdurchschnittliches Computerspiel-Intro (obwohl die Macher selbst hier haben viel lernen können, beispielsweise beim Intro des verwandten "Der Hexer"), die Charaktere sind unmenschlich aufgebläht, die Pferde rasen wie Schicksale daher und in den Momenten, wo Emotionen von der Animation ausgehen, gehen voll am Effekt vorbei. Und das ist eigentlich schade, denn ansonsten ist Beowulf ein recht nettes und überraschenderweise nicht vollends klischeehaftes Heldenepos - eben gemessen an den Maßstäben Hollywoods. Der Film verfügt über anständige Musik und manchmal auch eine gute Atmosphäre, jedoch die Animation kann die Welt absolut nicht "out of shot" wiederbeleben. Beowulf ist ein unheimlich schmaler Film, der nur in einem kleinen Kameraausschnitt lebt und ansonsten einer gleichgültigen Sache ähnelt, welcher es fatal an Überzeugungskraft mangelt.
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Just like the hero Beowulf, despite his bravery, is ultimately a toy in the hands of unpredictable fate, the transfer of his story to the big screen is a toy for Robert Zemeckis and his team. A toy that is enticing for the audience, and almost irresistible for some, yet is unattainable for most. The creators played with it for so long that it became usable only for their own enjoyment. The race in the sea, the battle with the dragon, and the camera flyover from the king's hall to Grendel are scenes that will stay in my mind for months, but the story itself was shamefully lost in their midst. After all, Beowulf is an ancient legend that has inspired many famous works of fantasy. So why does it rely almost exclusively on speeches full of pathos or vulgar outbursts (meaning rough for the period) in the first half? I don't know if I would want to see the determined warrior in a live-action version, as such blunders would be even more pronounced. Additionally, despite the "filter" of animation, the actors are truly excellent, Ray Winstone has charisma to spare, and even Alison Lohman, despite having limited screen time, manages to brighten up the fading ending with her traditional gentle beauty. I still trust Zemeckis. I just can't shake the fear that he will never succeed in delivering a perfectly combined story with revolutionary animation.
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Sure, if Zemeckis had conceived of it as a feature film, he would have saved himself a lot of work and money, but he chose a more thorny path because he has always been Mr. Playful and I admire people like him. So I won't bemoan the fact that the young queen of Wealhthéow looks very stupid with her deadpan expression (to the point of being an eyesore), that the movements of the galloping horses lack their natural grace, and that the representation of emotions in the human face through pixels leaves a lot to be desired. After all, this is an animated film, why analyse every twitch of a facial muscle? Besides, Beowulf is mainly adorned with other things: a story that draws you in and doesn't let go, a compelling mythology, lots of blood, as well as heroic, even poetic music, when Wealthéow plays his lute. And what’s more important, the cluster of pixels managed to evoke the atmosphere of the cold Nordic lands, no matter what anyone says. Once upon a time, years ago, I admired the amazing animated intro and the cut scenes on the legendary game “Diablo 2”, which the guys from Blizzard have always mastered perfectly, and dreamed how interesting and daring it would be to make a whole movie in this spirit. Zemeckis came out with something like that and he made me happy.
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"Sins of the fathers!" To start with, here’s my main objection: although performance capture animation has advanced a step or two since Polar Express, but it still suffers from Madame Tussaud’s waxwork syndrome. And some movements are a bit weird, to say the least. Mainly, I am trying hard to forget the horses. Right, and now for the “rest". The environment, the free floating camera, action scenes, Silvestri’s soundtrack, the voice performances and the excellent adaptation of this saga in verse into a classic-looking heroic drama that respects the spirit of this ancient saga. A movie that could have been outstanding, but the sterility of the characters doesn’t allow you to tune into the huge wave of strong emotions that can be found here. This applies partially to the part with Grendel, not to the outstanding royal part. That works as it should in all aspects and as a whole. Zemickis would doubtless have done better to make this as a classic epic. On the other hand, that would have meant no technical challenge, no leap forward for filmmaking, so it would have been rather pointless. And still Beowulf left a strong impression on me that will take a long time to fade. I don’t deny that the Imax version is responsible. At least we have a solid picture for adults that makes full use of the possibilities offered by 3D. And to make things better, it isn’t dubbed into Czech and so for the first time ever, the volume at Prague’s Imax wasn’t turned right down, so the clash with the dragon at the end was really spectacular. The sound pushes you back into your seat and the “such and such" flying at you has you flinching involuntarily. Beowulf could and, essentially, should be better. It is too significant a work for it to be just a mediocre movie. In this respect, it might have been better to make a more toned-down adaptation, a demythicized Beowulf & Grendel. But the subject material is so powerful that it has something to offer even in the places that it lacks energy. But you have to be ready to forgive the filmmakers a lot. An average movie that is perfect as a demo of the technical capabilities of Imax, and of cinema entertainment of the future in general.
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Photo © Warner Bros. Pictures
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