Reviews


  • Eaten Alive, Hour Magazine, Voir Communications, Inc., Ottawa

*** B & G REVIEWS FROM THE FILM FESTIVALS ***

§ BEOWULF AND GRENDEL Going back to the very beginning of the English literary tradition, Canadian director Sturla Gunnarsson takes on the heavy task of adapting this epic Anglo-Saxon poem to the big screen.

Thanks to a modern adaptation from screenwriter Andrew Rai Berzins, the movie is an intelligible examination of war, men and their attachment to something larger than themselves, be it power, god or the lofty concept of love. Here Gerard Butler (Dear Frankie, Phantom of the Opera) stars as Beowulf, a fire-hardened warrior who begins to question his own purpose in life. Things are changing around him. Pagans are converting to Christianity and the war of the believers versus non-believers is already aflame.

Maximizing the incredible Icelandic landscapes, Gunnarsson ensures every single frame tells a story that transcends the bounds of the film stock. Katherine Monk and Tom Charity, The Vancouver Sun, 10/07/05


§ It's a story of barbarism and brute force played out by uncivilized louts in a frigid land still more pagan than Christian. While many of its particulars are offputting, the yarn retains a fascination embodied by its elemental qualities and its reflection of the origins of Anglo-Saxon and Germanic-Scandinavian mythology. Todd McCarthy, Variety.Com


§ Breath-taking scenery, strong performances and an unexpected message come together in Sturla Gunnarsson’s Beowulf & Grendel. Forget the dusty, inaccessible saga that may have been forced upon you in High School... Chantal-Lise Mirman


§ ...it's hard to find actors who are 'unambiguously male' -- thus enters Gerard Butler, a rising Scottish actor... THE CAN MAG


§ How could I resist? With all the noise around The Lord of the Rings, this classic story was ripe for the telling. CHUD.com (Cinematic Happenings Under Development)


§ I'm sure if I had told either of the Wonder Twins I had an opportunity to see a film pertaining to the poem 'Beowulf' and did not go they would have strung me up and found interesting ways to make amends for my shortcoming. TWITCH FILMS


§ Instead of being a cheesy Viking epic, it is hilarious and poignant, despite more beheadings in it than Braveheart. The dialogue is hysterical. My new stinging epithet is "You look like walrus s---." Toronto Star


§ Even though it’s been around for centuries, there are remarkably few film adaptations of the epic Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf. Committed to sheepskin 1,000 years ago after generations of campfire recountings, Beowulf tells the story of a great Norse warrior who slays the monster Grendel that has been terrorizing the neighbouring kingdom. The Halifax Daily News