BEOWULF left me a little wanting when I first saw it in theaters. The CG animation was technically impressive with some characters almost looking photo realistic at times. Now my second viewing (my first on DVD) has gave me a total reversal. Now I enjoy the story of BEOWULF. It is a story of temptation and power. The creature Grendel is a person in pain while those who are supposed to lead are the biggest monsters hiding behind their deeds. BEOWULF is a new version of the epic poem told centuries ago. Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary add new things to make the story flow better from a film point of view.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
Five featurettes are on the disc-
A HERO'S JOURNEY: THE MAKING OF BEOWULF- an interesting look at how the motion capture was shot. T-Pose, anyone? Tom Hanks even drops by to see what's going on.
BEASTS OF BURDEN: DESIGNING THE CREATURES OF BEOWULF- a behind-the-scenes look at the motion capture procress of the actor they got to play Grendel and the dragon in addition to the animation work that went into
THE ORIGINS OF BEOWULF- talk about the devlopment of the script's story and the changes that were made.
CREATING THE ULTIMATE BEOWULF- it looks at teh actor they picked to play Beowulf.
THE ART OF BEOWULF- the concept art guided the way the film would look

Six deleted scenes in various forms of development (mostly rough looking animation) and the original theatrical trailer round out the extras.

FINAL ANALYSIS: On a first viewing on DVD, this second viewing of BEOWULF has made me re-evaluate what I think of this film. Th extras are worth watching. Too bad they didn't include an audio commentary.

this DVD review is (c)2-15-2008 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com  

look for additional content at http://enterline-media.tripod.com  and http://enterlinemedia.livejournal.com