I know this film has not been released yet, but I’m looking for information - I’ve read a lot about it, but still just don’t understand why the director chose to go animated (or semi-animated or whatever you call his process wherein he “paints over” real actors, a la Polar Express, only supposedly improved.). Anyway, my question is: has the Director ever explained the preference for such a weird, awkward looking (to me) style?
You are thinking of rotoscoping, used famously by Ralph Bakshi in a horrid animated production of exactly 1/2 of the LotR trilogy.
If the trailer’s supposed to pique my interest, it’s not working.
Neil Gaiman co-wrote the script, if that helps pique anyone’s interest…
This is the 3D equivilent: Motion Capture. Equally bad when not cleaned up by actual animators.
Compare the Beowolf trailer and Polar Express with Gollum from Peter Jackson’s LotR, particularly the facial expressions.
Saw it last night.
The motion capture actually looks pretty good in my opinion (and I didn’t like it in Polar Express).
Some of the dead eye problem but reduced and somehow more appropriate as well. Can’t answer on the “why” question but this is Robert Zemeckis’s current thing so that is probably enough why.
It being an epic war film was enough for me but Neil Gaiman co-writing clinched it for me.
It’s not an epic war film, is it? Unless they’ve changed the story a lot from the poem.
Poor phrasing on my part. An epic with lots of fighting.
Well, Zemeckis is a hack (this also explains the OP’s question about motion capture) and even if Gaiman is doing the screenplay I expect it to have no resemblance to the poem.
Crispin Hellion Glover learned Old English to do Grendel’s minimal dialogue. I was iffy on the movie before, but that’s a pretty cool selling point for me.
Actually, as I said in the earlier thread, I think a good Beowulf movie would have to add something to the original plot. The poem is too simplistic: guy fights monster, then another monster, then when hes old, a third monster.
IMHO, a successful film would add some more story while keeping to the mood and theme of the original poem.
This film opens today (Thursday) in Bangkok. It looks interesting, but I’m waiting to hear more about it.
I keep remembering Woody Allen’s admonition to Diane Keaton in Annie Hall: “Just don’t take any class where you have to read Beowulf.”
I’ll see it out of curiosity, but my expectations are very low.
Um, has anyone here seen one of my favorite movies of 2005?
Learned Old English or learned how to make the sounds of his minimal dialog?
I might see it tomorrow, maybe the 3D version, but I was a lot less interested once I found out it was all CGI. What’s the point of hiring actors to do all the motion capture, and making the figures look like the actors too? Might as well just have the actual actors. I was hoping they would go the 300 route. They even have the same line! “I… am… BEOWULF!” (This… is… SPARTA!").
I read an interview that said to keep it consistent with the original story, Beowulf fights in the nude. Is this true?
Did they put a motion capture sensor on his…nevermind, probably don’t want to know.
Woah. A hack? He may have lost his edge lately, but I’d never consider him a hack! What’s the reasoning behind accusing him of that?
I assume he learned to speak Old English fluently so he could converse with old Englishmen. Pip-pip cheerio!