.gif)
Beowulf (1999 film)
Encyclopedia
Beowulf is a 1999 film loosely based on the Old English
epic poem
Beowulf
. Unlike most film adaptations of the poem, this version is a science-fiction/fantasy
film that, according to one film critic, "takes place in a post-apocalyptic
, techno-feudal future that owes more to Mad Max
than Beowulf." The film was directed by Graham Baker and written by Mark Leahy and David Chappe
, and comes from the same producer as Mortal Kombat
, which also starred Lambert. During that time, Lambert was supposed to reprise his role as Raiden in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
, but due to this film, he was unavailable and was replaced by James Remar
.
While the film remains fairly true to the story of the original poem, other plot elements deviate from the original poem (Hrothgar
has an affair with Grendel's mother
, and they have a child together, Grendel
; Hrothgar's wife
commits suicide
).
Hrothgar has a daughter named Kyra. Another important character is Roland, who is probably the strongest soldier of the castle. Roland is in love with Kyra, but she does not love him back.
It also becomes clear that once Hrothgar had had a wife who committed suicide after Hrothgar had an affair with another woman. This woman was an ancient being who had originally lived on the land on which the castle now stands. They had a child, Grendel.
Beowulf and Grendel fight, and they wound each other, but both recover.
Later Beowulf and Grendel fight again. Beowulf rips Grendel's arm off with a retracting cestus
. After this, the castle celebrates, as they believe Grendel has been slain. Kyra declares her love for Beowulf, and he returns her affection. Kyra tells him that she killed her previous husband after he abused her. Beowulf tells her that his mother is human and his father is Baal
, "God of darkness, Lord of lies". This explains his tremendous fighting prowess.
While Kyra is with Beowulf, all the other people in the castle are killed by Grendel's mother (and possibly Grendel). Beowulf kills Grendel by stabbing him and then kills his mother by stabbing her and cutting a fire vent placed in front of her, causing flames to engulf her and consume the castle. Beowulf escapes the falling castle with Kyra. The castle is destroyed, with Beowulf and Kyra the only survivors. They ride away into the credits.
Beyond Hollywood's review said that "genre films don’t get any sillier than [this]", but called the film "above average." The review praised the film's "energetic action" and said that it "excels in set design", but added that "the techno [music] is pretty annoying." Calling the film "a cheesy post-apocalyptic update of the ancient tale", Carlo Cavagna of About Film praised the film's action scenes but felt that Lambert and Mitra had no chemistry.
Nathan Shumate of Cold Fusion Video Reviews also praised the film's action scenes, but felt it used all its good ideas in the first half, "leaving most of the rest of the movie to die of attrition." Shumate added, "That's not to say that there are no effective scenes to be had, [but they] certainly can’t carry the full 90-minute running time." [...] Perhaps it's truly impossible to come up with a definitive film version of this epic. But I wouldn’t want to make a judgement on that simply due to this attempt's mediocrity.
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
epic poem
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
. Unlike most film adaptations of the poem, this version is a science-fiction/fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
film that, according to one film critic, "takes place in a post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
, techno-feudal future that owes more to Mad Max
Mad Max
Mad Max is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and revised by Miller and Byron Kennedy over the original script by James McCausland. The film stars Mel Gibson, who was unknown at the time. Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story...
than Beowulf." The film was directed by Graham Baker and written by Mark Leahy and David Chappe
David Chappe
David Chappe was best known as the screenwriter who began the bidding wars of the late 1980s with his script Gale Force. David was also a novelist, photographer, screenwriting instructor, story editor, artist, and pianist.- Early life :David Chappe was born in Flatbush, Brooklyn moving to...
, and comes from the same producer as Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat (film)
Mortal Kombat is a 1995 American action and adventure film directed by Paul Anderson. Based on the Mortal Kombat series of fighting games, the film was the first part of the Mortal Kombat film series...
, which also starred Lambert. During that time, Lambert was supposed to reprise his role as Raiden in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is a 1997 American martial arts action film that was the sequel to 1995's Mortal Kombat, and was directed by John R. Leonetti, who had served as the cinematographer for the previous film...
, but due to this film, he was unavailable and was replaced by James Remar
James Remar
James Remar is an American actor and voice artist. He has appeared in movies, video games, and TV shows. He is perhaps best known as Richard, the on-off tycoon boyfriend of Kim Cattrall's character in Sex and the City, as Ajax in The Warriors, as the homicidal maniac Albert Ganz in the 1982...
.
While the film remains fairly true to the story of the original poem, other plot elements deviate from the original poem (Hrothgar
Hroðgar
Hroðgar, King Hroþgar, "Hrothgar", Hróarr, Hroar, Roar, Roas or Ro was a legendary Danish king, living in the early 6th century....
has an affair with Grendel's mother
Grendel's mother
Grendel's mother is one of three antagonists in the work of Old English literature of anonymous authorship, Beowulf . She is never given a name in the text....
, and they have a child together, Grendel
Grendel
Grendel is one of three antagonists, along with Grendel's mother and the dragon, in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf . Grendel is usually depicted as a monster, though this is the subject of scholarly debate. In the poem, Grendel is feared by all but Beowulf.-Story:The poem Beowulf is contained in...
; Hrothgar's wife
Wealhþeow
Wealhþēow is a legendary queen of the Danes in the Old English poem, Beowulf, first introduced in line 612.-Character overview:She is the Wulfing queen of the Danes. She is married to Hroðgar, the Danish king and is the mother of sons Hreðric and Hroðmund and also of daughter Freawaru. The meaning...
commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
).
Plot
The setting is a post-industrial-looking castle that defends the border of an unnamed kingdom. It is terrorized by a demon, Grendel, who kills the castle's defenders one by one from the inside. Fighting his way through a garrison that guards the castle because of their superstitious belief that anyone who comes out will spread darkness into the world and prevents them from coming out or going in, Beowulf, a powerful warrior, offers his help to the castle's occupants. Hrothgar, who is king of the castle, welcomes his help.Hrothgar has a daughter named Kyra. Another important character is Roland, who is probably the strongest soldier of the castle. Roland is in love with Kyra, but she does not love him back.
It also becomes clear that once Hrothgar had had a wife who committed suicide after Hrothgar had an affair with another woman. This woman was an ancient being who had originally lived on the land on which the castle now stands. They had a child, Grendel.
Beowulf and Grendel fight, and they wound each other, but both recover.
Later Beowulf and Grendel fight again. Beowulf rips Grendel's arm off with a retracting cestus
Cestus
A cestus is an ancient battle glove, sometimes used in pankration. They were worn as are today's boxing gloves, but were made with leather strips and sometimes filled with iron plates or fitted with blades or spikes, and used as weapons.-Terminology:...
. After this, the castle celebrates, as they believe Grendel has been slain. Kyra declares her love for Beowulf, and he returns her affection. Kyra tells him that she killed her previous husband after he abused her. Beowulf tells her that his mother is human and his father is Baal
Baal
Baʿal is a Northwest Semitic title and honorific meaning "master" or "lord" that is used for various gods who were patrons of cities in the Levant and Asia Minor, cognate to Akkadian Bēlu...
, "God of darkness, Lord of lies". This explains his tremendous fighting prowess.
While Kyra is with Beowulf, all the other people in the castle are killed by Grendel's mother (and possibly Grendel). Beowulf kills Grendel by stabbing him and then kills his mother by stabbing her and cutting a fire vent placed in front of her, causing flames to engulf her and consume the castle. Beowulf escapes the falling castle with Kyra. The castle is destroyed, with Beowulf and Kyra the only survivors. They ride away into the credits.
Cast
- Christopher LambertChristopher LambertChristophe Guy Denis "Christopher" Lambert is an American-born French actor who has appeared in French, European and American productions. He is best known for his role as Connor MacLeod, or simply "The Highlander", from the movie and subsequent movie franchise series of the same name...
as BeowulfBeowulfBeowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single... - Rhona MitraRhona MitraRhona Natasha Mitra , sometimes credited as Rona Mitra, is an English actress, model and singer.-Early life:Mitra was born in Paddington, London, England, the daughter of Anthony Mitra, a cosmetic surgeon, and Nora Downey...
as Kyra - Oliver CottonOliver CottonOliver Cotton is an English actor, known for his work on stage, TV and film.After training at the Drama Centre London, he has worked extensively at the Royal National Theatre playing in many productions including The Royal Hunt of the Sun, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Much Ado About...
as Hrothgar - Götz OttoGötz OttoGötz Otto is a German actor known for his very tall stature. He is 198 cm tall and is often characterised by bleached blonde hair in his films....
as Roland - Vincent Hammond as GrendelGrendelGrendel is one of three antagonists, along with Grendel's mother and the dragon, in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf . Grendel is usually depicted as a monster, though this is the subject of scholarly debate. In the poem, Grendel is feared by all but Beowulf.-Story:The poem Beowulf is contained in...
- Charles RobinsonCharles Robinson (actor)Charles "Charlie" Robinson is a critically acclaimed American theater and television actor. He is best known for his role as Mac Robinson in the NBC sitcom Night Court...
as Weaponsmaster - Brent Jefferson Lowe as Will
- Roger SlomanRoger SlomanRoger Sloman is an English actor. Born in the Harlesden district of London, he has performed in dozens of television and film appearances since the late 1970s...
as Karl - Layla Roberts as Grendel's motherGrendel's motherGrendel's mother is one of three antagonists in the work of Old English literature of anonymous authorship, Beowulf . She is never given a name in the text....
- Patricia VelásquezPatricia VelásquezPatricia Carola Velásquez Semprún is a Venezuelan actress and fashion model. She is often considered to be the first Latin supermodel.-Early life:...
as Pendra
Reception
Critical reaction to the film has been mixed. Danél Griffin of Film as Art said the film "understands that liberties must be taken with the poem's characters to create a more cinematic experience, and there are moments that, even in its liberties, it reveals a deep appreciation for the poem, and a profound understanding of its ideas. There are other moments, however, that seem so absurd and outlandish that we wonder if the writers, Mark Leahy and David Chappe, have even read the poem." Griffin added that "Lambert is certainly effective", but concluded that "clever ideas aside, the film is unfortunately mediocre at best. The set design and some of the revised storyline are both stupendous, but the overall experience makes for poor cinema."Beyond Hollywood's review said that "genre films don’t get any sillier than [this]", but called the film "above average." The review praised the film's "energetic action" and said that it "excels in set design", but added that "the techno [music] is pretty annoying." Calling the film "a cheesy post-apocalyptic update of the ancient tale", Carlo Cavagna of About Film praised the film's action scenes but felt that Lambert and Mitra had no chemistry.
Nathan Shumate of Cold Fusion Video Reviews also praised the film's action scenes, but felt it used all its good ideas in the first half, "leaving most of the rest of the movie to die of attrition." Shumate added, "That's not to say that there are no effective scenes to be had, [but they] certainly can’t carry the full 90-minute running time." [...] Perhaps it's truly impossible to come up with a definitive film version of this epic. But I wouldn’t want to make a judgement on that simply due to this attempt's mediocrity.
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack mainly featured electronic and industrial songs from various artists. Despite the many songs used in the film, a soundtrack CD was never issued out.- Jonathan Sloate - Beowulf
- Front 242Front 242Front 242 is a pioneering Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. They are known for being the premier pioneer of electronic body music and as a major influence on the electronic and industrial music genres.-Formation:...
- Religion (Bass under siege mix by The ProdigyThe ProdigyThe Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
) - PigPIG (band)Raymond Watts is the founding and sole member of the post-industrial music project PIG, sometimes written as '....
- No One Gets out of Her Alive, Jump the Gun (Instrumental) - Gravity KillsGravity KillsGravity Kills is an American industrial rock band from Jefferson City, Missouri. Their music was described by one critic as "a blending of eerie industrial rock with a pop-infused melodic chorus and a bit of hard-core head banging."...
- Guilty (Juno ReactorJuno ReactorJuno Reactor is a musical and performing act known for the cinematic fusion of electronic, orchestral, and global music. Central to the project is Ben Watkins and his collaborations with a constantly changing ensemble of musicians from across the world, including percussionist Mabi Thobejane from...
remix) - Juno ReactorJuno ReactorJuno Reactor is a musical and performing act known for the cinematic fusion of electronic, orchestral, and global music. Central to the project is Ben Watkins and his collaborations with a constantly changing ensemble of musicians from across the world, including percussionist Mabi Thobejane from...
- God is God - Fear FactoryFear FactoryFear Factory is an American industrial metal band. Formed in 1989, they have released seven full-length albums and a number of singles and remixes. Over the course of their career they have evolved from a succession of styles, as well as steadily pioneered a combination of the styles death metal,...
- Cyberdyne - Laughing US - Universe
- KMFDMKMFDMKMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...
- Witness - Lunatic CalmLunatic CalmLunatic Calm were a UK-based electronic music group formed in 1996. Despite a wide-ranging sound palette, the group was best known for their high impact, industrial-tinged big beat compositions.-History:...
- The Sound - Junkie XLJunkie XLTom Holkenborg , better known as Junkie XL or JXL, is a Dutch musician. He uses the name JXL in cases where the term "Junkie" might cause offense. XL is for "Xpanding Limits"....
- Def Beat - Urban Voodoo - Ego Box
- 2wo2wo2wo was an English industrial metal band, formed by former Judas Priest lead singer Rob Halford as a side project, after the break-up of his first solo project, Fight.-Band history:...
- Stutter Kiss - Spirit Feel - Unfolding Towards the Light
- Mindfeel - Cranium Heads Out
- FrontsideFrontsideFrontside and backside are surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding and aggressive inline skating terms that are used to describe how a person approaches an obstacle or performs a certain trick...
- Dammerung - Praga KhanPraga KhanPraga Khan is a Belgian techno musician, primarily in the new beat style.-Overview:Praga Khan is one of the pioneers of the new beat / acid house / rave sound, and has contributed to the theatrical scene with his musical collaborations in The Next Dimension and Code Red.In the late 1980s, he...
- Luv u Still - AnthraxAnthrax (band)Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
- Giving the Horns - Monster MagnetMonster MagnetMonster Magnet is an American stoner rock band. Hailing from Red Bank, New Jersey, the group was founded by Dave Wyndorf , John McBain and Tim Cronin...
- Lord 13