A lot of people have been asking about my take on Beowulf in IMAX 3D this week. We lucked into a few passes and hauled ass to the theater to see it last Wednesday, but I can see where people might be hesitant about grabbing their own tickets since the IMAX 3D experience is obviously, a lot more expensive. So here it goes.
Visually, this movie was spectacular. The advancements they've made in 3D technology blow my mind harder than finding out Doritos is now putting two flavors in one bag. (I know!) For the first 10 minutes or so (and I'm talking when the Warner Brother's sign is dancing around the screen. Not actual movie action) I felt like I might not be able to handle the 3D. There was a moment when I was certain I would have to leave. However, I was too eager to punish the people who decided to show up precisely at 7:00 when the film started and expected to still get a seat. (You snooze, you lose people.) So I got comfortable with the craziness before my eyes and began to enjoy the movie.

The attention to detail in the animation was meticulous. I had seen Robert Zemeckis's last CGI film, The Polar Express, and while I loathed it with a passion, I could still respect the dedication to the animation. Beowulf is even better. Every pore on their skin you can see, peach fuzz on their faces, even nose hairs! which, granted, were a little over-gratuitous. But the amazing CGs coupled with the 3D technology and the advanced sound system of the IMAX theater made you, literally, feel as though you were in those scenes and could reach out and touch the people, which you kinda want to do when Beowulf strips down to his skivies. Ow ow!

There was a great selection of voice talent. This movie really shows that Anthony Hopkins is good in everything he does, even if it's just talking. For the entire movie I stressed about the voice of Beowulf, certain I had heard it somewhere before. I IMDB'd the hell out of it when I got home and discovered it was Ray Winstone who had played Henry VIII in a fantastic TV movie four years ago that I loved. I honestly can't imagine the movie without him as Beowulf. Probably the best casting job I've ever encountered. Angelina left a little to be desired with her poor attempt at a Nordic accent but after seeing Alexander and Tomb Raider, who was really expecting anything better?

I didn't really want to address this but seeming as there are way too many people out there who are interested, lets get to the Angelina Jolie nude scene. First of all, I would like to point out the obvious that this is not actually Angelina Jolie. It is a digital rendering of Angelina Jolie and not even a great one at that. Her head is clearly too big for her body and she doesn't really have much of a neck. What the directors call "nude" in this movie, I call "Barbie body." You know, the curves are in all the right places, but that's as much as they're giving up. So if you're going to see this hoping to see Angelina in all her glory you may be sorely disappointed. If you're into digital ladies with disproportions who sport high heels in what was supposed to be 500AD Scandinavia, have at it. Personally, I've seen racier stuff on Jerry Springer.

I remember being in the 8th grade, and my English teacher at the time, Ms. Sparks, read us Beowulf aloud during a week of classes. I enjoyed it at the time but didn't really think much of it again until they began showing trailers for this movie and I realized that the story of Beowulf was one of the very few things I retained from a long educational career. It's one of the greatest pieces of literature of our time and Robert Zemeckis brings it to life in such a way that could only be better if they doubled the budget and shot it in live action instead.

Now, I thought I should also include a little disclaimer here. Four years ago I went to see Matrix: Revolutions in IMAX 3D, and actually came out thinking it was a good movie. It wasn't until after the fact that I spoke with others who had seen it in normal theaters that I realized that the special effects and digital imagery had seduced my senses in IMAX 3D, eclipsing the fact that it was, indeed, a horrifically bad film.

But all in all, a fantastic movie-going experience. Even if it wasn't free (which it was) I still would have paid the little extra for the IMAX ticket if I had known it was going to be that good. For regular theater-goers? Not sure how it would translate to the standard theater screen but there's definitely some value there beyond the 3D effects. Three Rings of Power!



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