Grendel (film)

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Grendel
Grendel2007Cover.jpg
DVD cover
GenreAction
Drama
Fantasy
Horror
Based on Beowulf by Anonymous
Written by Ron Fernandez
Berkeley Anderson
Directed by Nick Lyon
Starring Chris Bruno
Ben Cross
Marina Sirtis
Music by Nathan Furst
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producers Jeffery Beach
Phillip J. Roth
Cinematography Lorenzo Senatore
Editor Matt Michael
Running time82 minutes
Production company Universal Pictures
Original release
Network Sci Fi Channel
ReleaseJanuary 13, 2007 (2007-01-13)

Grendel is a 2007 American action-fantasy television film directed by Nick Lyon and very loosely based on the Old English epic poem Beowulf . The television film was produced by the Sci Fi channel as an original movie for broadcasting on the Sci Fi cable television network, and began airing on January 13, 2007. In 2010 it was released on DVD from the sister company by Universal Pictures. [1]

Contents

Synopsis

Beowulf, hero, is asked by some villagers to kill a monster living nearby. Together with his protégé Finn he enters a cave. The monster turns out to be a gigantic snake, which Beowulf beheads. Later, Beowulf (armed with a huge crossbow that shoots missiles), Finn, his uncle King Higlack, and a few men sets out on his ship towards Denmark to help the Danes fighting against the monster Grendel.

On board Beowulf tells the story of King Hrothgar, who became King of the Danes and founded a city that could compete with Rome. One day a wyvern-like monster ("Hag") appeared and terrorised his kingdom. As a result, Queen Wealhþeow went mad and one of their two sons was killed fighting the Hag; the royal family had to leave the city and settle in one of the villages. Just before the winged monster apparently died, she gave birth to Grendel.

When they reach the beach, Beowulf and a few dozen warriors go ashore; Finn joins them, after Beowulf swore to the king that nothing will happen to him. In the forest bordering the coast they are greeted by Prince Unferð, who has already monitored their arrival with Captain Wulfgar. He mocks the warriors, but then allows them to meet the king, albeit unarmed. King Hrothgar greets Beowulf like an old friend and is very pleased with his offer of help. They move to the abandoned city to have a feast, since the noise used to attract Grendel in the past.

At the feast Ingrid, a member of the royal family, starts flirting with Finn: the two kiss watched by the jealous Unferth, who also has feelings for Ingrid. Very drunk, Unferth provokes Finn and then Beowulf, whom he questions about less glorious stories and ridicules him. King Hrothgar is deeply disappointed with his son and orders him to stop his foolish behavior. After being knocked off by Beowulf in one blow, because he wanted to challenge him to a sword fight, Grendel appears in the courtyard and attacks the guards. Beowulf and his men attack the monster but Beowulf misses it several times with the explosive bolts of the crossbow. Eventually the monster escapes after causing a bloodbath.

The following day, Beowulf discusses again with the royal family. While Unferth blames him for the tragedy, Beowulf gets the king to admit that he had been able to keep Grendel calm for the last few years through child sacrifices, as his predecessor did with Hag: this is why there are no more children on the island. Beowulf decides then to look for Grendel on his own, and order Wulfgar to bomb the forest with burning barrels, in order to lure Grendel out. While the rest of the group stays behind and is ambushed by Grendel, Beowulf is able to shoot it in the head with one of the bolts and then pierce his heart. As proof of his death, he takes Grendel's arm with him.

King Hrothgar is delighted with the result and generously rewards the heroes. While Beowulf and his people head for the ship to return home, it becomes clear that Grendel's mother, Hag, was never dead and now wants to avenge her son. She kidnaps Ingrid, prompting the royal family to call Beowulf back; Unferth and Finn, however, take up the chase separately. Ingrid manages to free herself, but now walks aimlessly in the forest; Unferth protects her from Hag, but pays for it with his life. As he dies, he confesses his love for her and asks her to tell his parents that he is sorry for his brother's death and that he asks for forgiveness.

When Hag returns to capture Ingrid again, Finn jumps in between them and manages to injure the monster, but he is abducted by Hag. Now Beowulf, Wulfgar and the royal couple arrive on site and Beowulf decides to hunt Hag alone; King Hrothgar then recommends him to use the sword he will find at the entrance of Hag's cave. In the vicinity of the cave he finds indeed the sword and a little later the seriously injured Finn. Now Hag ambushes Beowulf, whose attempts to hit the flying monster fail miserably, and throws him against a rock. Just before Hag can give Beowulf the fatal blow, Finn shoots her in the back with the crossbow. Hag then turns to Finn but Beowulf seizes the opportunity and beheads her with the sword. He brings the head to the king as proof and carry the seriously injured Finn to the village.

In the credits Beowulf is shown on a ship heading for new adventures. Finn and Ingrid stay together and have a child: after the deaths of Grendel and Hag, peace has returned.

Cast

Reception

Nickolas Haydock, in the essay "Making Sacrifices" from the Beowulf on Film collection, called the film "highly derivative" and "regrettable". [1]

On Rotten Tomatoes , the film has a poor rating of just 27% with over 100 reviews. [2] In the Internet Movie Database , the film has a rating of 3.5 out of 10.0 stars with almost 1,000 votes cast. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Beowulf</i> Old English epic poem

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars; the only certain dating is for the manuscript, which was produced between 975 and 1025 AD. Scholars call the anonymous author the "Beowulf poet". The story is set in pagan Scandinavia in the 6th century. Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, whose mead hall Heorot has been under attack by the monster Grendel for twelve years. After Beowulf slays him, Grendel's mother takes revenge and is in turn defeated. Victorious, Beowulf goes home to Geatland and becomes king of the Geats. Fifty years later, Beowulf defeats a dragon, but is mortally wounded in the battle. After his death, his attendants cremate his body and erect a barrow on a headland in his memory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grendel</span> Figure in the poem Beowulf

Grendel is a character in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf. He is one of the poem's three antagonists, all aligned in opposition against the protagonist Beowulf. He is referred to as both an eoten and a þyrs, types of beings from wider Germanic mythology. He is also described as a descendant of the Biblical Cain and "a creature of darkness, exiled from happiness and accursed of God, the destroyer and devourer of our human kind." He is usually depicted as a monster or a giant, although his status as a monster, giant, or other form of supernatural being is not clearly described in the poem and thus remains the subject of scholarly debate. The character of Grendel and his role in the story of Beowulf have been subject to numerous reinterpretations and re-imaginings. Grendel is feared by all in Heorot but Beowulf, who kills both him and his mother.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hrothgar</span> Legendary Danish king

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Hrunting was a sword given to Beowulf by Unferth in the ancient Old English epic poem Beowulf. Beowulf used it in battle against Grendel's mother.

Wiglaf is a character in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf. He is the son of Weohstan, a Swede of the Wægmunding clan who had entered the service of Beowulf, king of the Geats. Wiglaf is called Scylfing as a metonym for Swede, as the Scylfings were the ruling Swedish clan. While in the service of the Scylfing Onela, king of the Swedes, Weohstan killed the rebel prince Eanmund and took his sword as a trophy; Wiglaf later inherited it. Weohstan belonged to the clan of the Wægmundings, the same clan Beowulf's father Ecgþeow belonged to; so Wiglaf is Beowulf's distant cousin, and his only living relative at the time of Beowulf's death.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grendel's mother</span> Mother of Grendel (Beowulf saga)

Grendel's mother is one of three antagonists in the anonymous Old English poem Beowulf, the other two being Grendel and the dragon. Each antagonist reflects different negative aspects of both the hero Beowulf and the heroic society that the poem is set in. Grendel's mother is introduced in lines 1258b to 1259a as: "Grendles modor/ides, aglæcwif".

<i>Grendel Grendel Grendel</i> 1981 Australian film

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unferð</span> Character in Beowulf

In the Old English epic poem Beowulf, Unferth or Hunferth is a thegn of the Danish lord Hrothgar. He appears five times in the poem — four times by the name 'Hunferð' and once by the appellation "the son of Eclafes". The name Unferth does not appear in any Old English manuscript outside of the Nowell Codex, which contains Beowulf, and the meaning of the name is disputed. Several scholarly theories about Unferth have been proposed. Unferth is also the name of a character in the modern novel Grendel by John Gardner, based upon the Beowulf epic.

<i>Beowulf & Grendel</i> 2005 film by Sturla Gunnarsson

Beowulf & Grendel is a 2005 Canadian-Icelandic fantasy adventure film directed by Sturla Gunnarsson, loosely based on the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf. It stars Gerard Butler as Beowulf, Stellan Skarsgård as Hrothgar, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson as Grendel and Sarah Polley as the witch Selma. The screenplay was written by Andrew Rai Berzins. The soundtrack was composed by Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson.

<i>Grendel</i> (novel) 1971 novel by John Gardner

Grendel is a 1971 novel by the American author John Gardner. It is a retelling of part of the Old English poem Beowulf from the perspective of the antagonist, Grendel. In the novel, Grendel is portrayed as an antihero. The novel deals with finding meaning in the world, the power of literature and myth, and the nature of good and evil.

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In the Old English epic Beowulf, Æschere is Hrothgar's most trusted advisor who is killed by Grendel's mother in her attack on Heorot after her son's death. His name, mentioned four times in the poem, is composed of the Germanic elements "æ", meaning 'ash', and "here", meaning 'army'. King Hrothgar describes Æschere as 'min runwita ond min rædbora', which implies that he knows mysteries or enigmas and also has a duty to explain those mysteries aloud to a community. But by killing and decapitating Æschere, Grendel's mother highlights an anxiety within the poem about things that defy human interpretation. Beowulf and his Geatish warriors find Æschere's severed head at the entrance to Grendel's mother's lair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beowulf (DC Comics)</span> Comics character

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<i>Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary</i> Modern English translation of Beowulf by J. R. R. Tolkien

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References

  1. 1 2 Haycock, Nickolas (2013). "Making Sacrifices". In Haydock, Nickolas; Risden, E. L. (eds.). 'Beowulf' on Film: Adaptations and Variations. Jefferson: McFarland. pp. 81–118. ISBN   9780786463381.
  2. ↑ "Grendel", Rotten Tomatoes , retrieved 2021-12-11
  3. ↑ IMDb: Ratings Grendel , retrieved 2021-12-11
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