Film Preview: Beowulf (2007)

Trailers (Due to age, may no longer be available)

Posters (Due to age, may no longer be available)

Poster Rating: C

Review: Of all the glorious scenery in the trailer, you would think they could have come up with somehting more authentic looking than this dark, ugly poster. While it captures the essence of the film, it’s really a poorly-crafted computer image thrown onto a tacky background.

Trailer Rating: B-; B

Review: Robert Zemeckis is back to his old tricks. Eschewing real actors on the screen for computer-animated versions, this film looks too much like Polar Express to be inviting. While that film had Tom Hanks to turn me off, this one doesn’t. I’ll admit that the story is interesting, but I’m reticent about the motion-capture style of animation.

This second trailer shows us a little bit more about the film and, although the animation style still irritates me, the film does seem more interesting with more static shots and less close-up detail.

Oscar Prospects:

Polar Express received three Oscar nominations, but none of which they expected. The Animated Feature award has been very finicky and has stuck to traditional animation styles that avoid a resemblance to real life. There’s always some element of fantasy to their selections. This is also a mark against Richard Linklater who has had two films using real actors and animation over the top to fail to earn Oscar attention. Could Beowulf be the film to break the cycle? The continuous thuds of animated features failing to catch on may be cause for hope, but with Ratatouille and The Simpsons Movie the lead contenders for the award, Beowulf would have to settle for the distinction of being the first of its kind to earn an Oscar nod.