Beowulf and Grendel (2005)

Beowulf and Grendel, starring Gerard Butler and Stellan Skarsgard

I previously reviewed Beowulf, the 8th century Old English epic poem. The Beowulf poem is famously remembered for the accounts of the three great fights of its eponymous hero. Beowulf battles the monster Grendel, then Grendel's Mother - a primordial spirit - and then, when Beowulf has reached old age, a ravening dragon. Beowulf and Grendel is mainly about the first of these fights.

The makers of the movie have used the basic Grendel-Beowulf scenario from the original poem but with some major alterations. The movie explores the motivations of the monster Grendel (psychology being almost absent in the poem), and it adds a young witch as a central character. Perhaps these deviations are necessary to bring the story to life for the modern imagination?

Hrothgar is the king of the Danes. His men hunt and wantonly kill Grendel's father, but Hrothgar spares the life of the infant Grendel. Many years later Hrothgar builds a new hall, Heorot. Grendel, now fully grown, comes to the Heorot on the night of the inaugural feast. He avenges is father by killing Hrothgar's men. He spares Hrothgar.

Hearing of the king's plight, Beowulf and his band of a dozen men come to Heorot and offer to kill Grendel. Beowulf soon discovers that Grendel will not fight him, for Grendel only fights when he is wronged. So they pursue Grendel and wrong him, and the scene for conflict is set.

As interesting as the unfolding story may be, the real attraction of Beowulf and Grendel is the landscape photography. The landscape is stark (I think the movie was shot in Iceland) but beautiful (and beautifully captured), and there is lots of it.

Worth seeing. 7/10