There’s been a lot of online discussion regarding the upcoming CGI motion capture movie Beowulf by Robert Zemeckis. While there was some great buzz about it this summer based on the 3D footage shown at the San Diego Comic-Con, for the most part since then people haven’t exactly been talking this one up. Much of the discussion has been centered on the attempt at photorealistic CGI characters, which although it has progressed leaps and bounds, still has a creepy, living-dead quality to it.
Of course there’s also been the controversy surrounding the bizarre decision to release red-band trailers for a movie that will be rated PG-13 (wierdest marketing ever). I’ve commented here previously that I think this mixed-message promotion will come back and bit them in the butt. I’ve also stated that really the primary reason I plan on seeing the film is for the one-two punch combo of IMAX and 3D. Visually, for folks that check out the movie in that venue I think Beowulf is going to blow people away.
But does that mean the movie, as a whole, will be any good? Not necessarily, and this latest bit of footage really, really scares me… and not in a horror movie kind of way.
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Check out this scene from the film where Beowulf fights sea monsters:
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think the narration in that scene could be any cheesier. Seriously… that sounded like it came from a really awful B-movie. The visuals are pretty cool, but that voiceover…. damn.
Or is it just me?
For higher res versions of this footage go to Yahoo! Movies.
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21 Comments
A little cheesey, but the visuals make up for it!
heath
I thought it was fine. Though they did show that clip on the Scream Awards, only it was longer and alot more bloodier.
This would be hard to swallow even if the characters had super powers…come on, leaping from one sea monster’s mouth to another in one fluid movement, with knife bared? This is beyond even video game realism. As if
1. He knew the monster would be there,
2. A knife would really do damage on a giant, scaly creature, and
3. Anyone would have strength for monster combat after ’swimming for 5 days.’
I know this is mythology and requires “suspension of disbelief,” but puh-leeze!
Spider-Beowulf, Spider-Beowulf
Does what Superman and Spider-Man can
Swim the sea, against the tide
No Aunt May, No kryptonite
Go to see, nude Jolie
Look out, here comes the Spider-Beowulf
LMAO!!!
Good one, Jim.
Vic
lol, awesome work there Jim.
Another final fantasy film and I bet it will not do well after the intial “world of warcraft” audience goes back online.
Entire films using Cgi characters are like car accidents.
You look and then drive away.
This film will bomb in my opinion…
More importantly, the more footage I see of this, the more I see “The Uncanny Valley” effect show up.
I don’t know if they’ll ever be able to digitally bridge the valley successfully, not strictly with mo-cap at least. It’s going to take a combination of animators and mo-cap to do that, and frankly, what’s the point? Animators can already do it more believably than anything we’ve seen alternatively.
Okay, this isn’t to defend this, because I dot hink it comes off a bit wrong. But I believe there’s a bit of method behind the madness: Beowulf is telling a tale of his heroics, and he’s approaching it as an Anglo-Saxon storyteller would. Namely, he’s presenting it in an alliterative manner.
Alliterative verse — the only mode of verse the Anglo-Saxons use — depends on repeating leading vowels or consonants. There was also a caesura, a break that divided a poem’s line into two parts, which seems to have basically a long pause.
Some examples where they’re roughly alliterating:
Conserving my STRENGTH for the final STRETCH — [Caesura] — when this STORM blew up
and
AGAIN and AGAIN, the monsters ATTACKED — [Caesura] — from the seas depths
It’s hard to say from such a short snippet whether it holds for the whole story, or if the context of the speech makes sense for him to be taking that tone. But I think that’s what’s going on, and it explains the dissonance a little when you’re being treated to a modernized rendering of what a verse style that went out of fashion about a thousand years ago is being presented.
Still, I don’t think it quite works. Comes off a little too strident, unless it’s a hint that Beowulf is really exaggerating and is trying to cover that up by being loud rather than honest. I wouldn’t put it past Gaiman and Avary to do something like that … but what counts as exaggeration in this movie, with its premises? ‘Oh, Beowulf, it was 2 days, not 5!’
Check out Tolkien’s reading of some of the alliterative verse he wrote for _The Lord of the Rings_ for a better example of how one could go about it, if you can find it.
Elio,
I see what you’re saying, but part of my problem with it was the delivery of the narration. Seemed really hokey to me instead of melodramatic, which I assume was the intent.
Vic
Well the weekend is allmost over and Beowulf has allmost made 30 mill.
^
They spent that on advertising alone.
^
Even with overseas revenue its a safe bet to say this film Bombed!!
^
And I’m glad….
Ouch, kicking it while its down.
Just curious Steve, why all the hate on CG movies? I mean to be honest I tend to agree, I much prefer a live action movie compared to all this CG gear, but is there anything in particular that bothers you about it?
Well Hirogen, it all started with the film “Final Fantasy”. When I watched that all CG film I was disgusted by all the close up shots of the female lead character in the beginning of the movie.
^
Ooo let’s get a shot of her computer generated hair and skin. This went on for about a half an hour. One more close up shot after another. I felt that they were forcing this technology a bit.
^
I never made it through that film because it was a CGI love fest with that lead character. And ultimatly that film Tanked and tanked hard. I was glad then because the Studios had planned to do more of those films back then.
Luckly the studios all backed off CGI films. And here we are 10 years later to Beowulf.
Were faced with the same problem, if this film succeeds we can expect more..(I’m totally against this).
^
When they can make a film CGI and I don’t notice it then fine. But as long as its CGI assisted with 3D, I’m not going.
^
I’ve never been a fan of 3D ether.
^
Perhaps I play too many Video games and that could also have something to do with it, but I hate CGI movies.
^
I also don’t like Shrek or any Dreamworks CGI Pixar films. (I boycott them all).
^
But hey that’s just my cup of beer.
I’m glad this film bombed. We’ve held the CGI machine back again.
This time I hope for a long time.
The marketing helped make this film a dud.
^
The studios latley can’t find a way to bring in the 9 to 19 yearold demo.
LOL, maybe you need to stop playing so many video games. Pixar movies are always fantastic. You’re really missing out.
Vic
BTW, as it turned out, within the context of the film this scene DID work well.
Vic
Ya know Steve, I pretty agree completely. I mean I don’t go to the extent of boycotting these movies (which makes me part of the problem I suppose) as with Shrek, I found the first pretty funny actually, but having said that, I would have found it just as funny if it where an animated film. Thinking back to Final Fantasy, I can’t remember noticing that whole 6 billion closeups of the main character, but now that you mention it…Damn, for gods sake pull back a bit!
Well, looks like we will be getting our way for a while again anyways being that as you have said, it looks like Beowulf has bombed pretty bad.
Yeah go back and watch that “Final Fantasy”. You’ll laugh hard… Its even more unrealistic because of all the. timekilling shots of her hair and skin texture. Its a joke!!
^
Also
Beowulf did Bomb but only. fianancially. They spent around 130+ million on it…
(Fianancially bombed is good because the money lenders will think twice next time and will offset this CGI machine)
That’s why I’m happy it tanked..
^
However…..
I hope the film is enjoyed by all that see it. I don’t like to bash Art..and if Vic liked this than it couldn’t have totally sucked.
^^^
Steve,
Here’s a prediction:
We will NOT see they typical 60% dropoff in overall box office for Beowulf next weekend. I’m betting that people showed up for the 3D version, found it sold out and opted to wait to see it in that format instead of heading over for the 2D version.
I’m curious to see if I turn out to be right about this.
Vic
Yeah go back and watch that “Final Fantasy”. You’ll laugh hard… Its even more unrealistic because of all the. timekilling shots of her hair and skin texture. Its a joke!!
^
Also
Beowulf did Bomb but only. fianancially. They spent around 130+ million on it…
(Fianancially bombed is good because the money lenders will think twice next time and will offset this CGI machine)
That’s why I’m happy it tanked..
^
However…..
I hope the film is enjoyed by all that see it. I don’t like to bash Art..and if Vic liked this than it couldn’t have totally sucked.
^^^
Well I think its official.
^
Beowulf has been out less than a week and its allready fallen to 4th place…
^
Its dead Vic,…
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