Beowulf: Director’s Cut Blu-ray Disc (Robert Zemeckis, 2007)

Paramount (USA)
2.35:1 1080p
114 minutes
Audio: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: Beowulf in the Volume (PIP video stream); web-based extras; A Hero’s Journey: The Making of Beowulf (HD); The Journey Continues (HD); Beasts of Burden: Designing the Creatures of Beowulf (HD); The Origins of Beowulf (HD); Creating the Ultimate Beowulf (HD); The Art of Beowulf (HD); A Conversation With Robert Zemeckis (HD); deleted scenes (HD); theatrical trailer (HD); Easter Egg: John Malkovich (HD)

Released: 29 July 2008
Blu-ray case

Paramount’s Beowulf: Director’s Cut HD DVD release was a tremendous effort. This Blu-ray has all of the substantive content and improved video/audio. Therefore, this disc is one of the best Blu-ray releases yet, even with the five-month lag behind the HD DVD’s appearance. It’s even better than the UK Blu-ray, which doesn’t have the PIP video track or the trailer.

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Motion-capture computer animation took a huge leap into photorealism with 2001’s Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. The movie’s poor box-office performance caused many to think that this area of computer animation would be laid to rest. Instead, motion-capture animation is used extensively for special effects and stunts that would be too dangerous/costly if performed for real by humans. Effects enthusiasts such as James Cameron and Robert Zemeckis use their clout to build upon the foundation laid by Final Fantasy.

Zemeckis himself made a huge digital leap with 1994’s Forrest Gump. Gump offered scene after scene after scene of Tom Hanks believably inserted into archival footage. Thus, we got Hanks shaking hands with JFK and showing Lyndon Johnson his bare buttocks. Zemeckis and Hanks re-teamed for another huge digital leap with 2004’s Polar Express. 2007’s Beowulf is kind of more-of-the-same as Polar Express. A lot of time was expended upon using video cameras and computers to record human actors acting with wire-frame furniture and props, and a lot of time was expended upon rendering digital-puppet versions of the actors into computer-drawn worlds.

Computer-generated images have come a long way since 2001, but while Beowulf certainly looks far more three-dimensional than Final Fantasy, I’m surprised that overall techniques have not improved in other areas. The “humans” move jerkily, and facial expressions are almost non-existent even though Pixar has shown that expressivity IS possible. Also, everything looks very “plastic” and lacking in heft (i.e. physical weight). Final Fantasy shared the same problems, but believe it or not, they aren’t as visible in Final Fantasy as they are in Beowulf. To be fair, this might be a result of our familiarity with Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, and Angelina Jolie. (Final Fantasy paired famous voices with designed-from-scratch faces.)

Beowulf is based on old Viking legends, but given the huge sums of money thrown at the motion-capture process, Zemeckis opted for a mindless-action-visual approach rather than one that illuminates the legends’ serious themes. I’m not sure who’s meant to enjoy this movie. It’s too simple-minded and silly to be appreciated by adults, and it’s too violent and “mature” for kids. Teens will laugh at the period settings.

However, home video often has a way of re-inventing the wheel. The extras provide an eye-opening look into one of cinema’s possible futures.

Video:
It’s always difficult evaluating motion-capture animation. Digital sources don’t get damaged the way that film prints can be harmed, but the image looks fake and “plastic” despite the three-dimensional appearance and our familiarity with the famous actors. In a sense, motion-capture animation challenges us to negotiate our responses to reality. Do we sit back and enjoy the pictures for what they are, or do we keep thinking about how un-expressive and constipated Winstone, Hopkins, Wright Penn, and Jolie appear to be?

The 2.35:1 1080p image is flawless, offering vivid colors and great shadow detailing. It’s up to you to decide if you can stand watching 114 minutes of motion-capture animation. The video encode seems to take advantage of the extra space accorded by a 50-gig Blu-ray Disc. There are slight improvements over the HD DVD’s video, mostly in terms of image stability.

Audio:
Motion-capture animated movies tend to have thunderous sound mixes in order to give the images some “heft”. Beowulf is no different from its brethren. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English track is like something out of the lowest reaches of Hell. As impressive and powerful as the HD DVD’s DD+ 5.1 track is, the TrueHD mix is noticeably richer and fuller (though by a tiny bit).

The shouting, screaming, roaring, explosions, fireballs, rain, thunder, and clanging metal assault you from every angle. The subwoofer constantly pounds your chest. The overbearing music score doesn’t know when to quit. Dialogue is always intelligible, though just barely. Is this demo material? Certainly. Was it pleasant listening to this movie? Nah...I’m still nursing a headache.

You can also watch the movie with DD 5.1 French and DD 5.1 Spanish dubs. Optional English, English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles support the audio.

Extras:
Like the HD DVD release, this Blu-ray offers all of the SD DVD’s extras--and more. You also get the added benefit of convenience since you don’t have to switch discs as you do with the two-disc HD DVD set.

Like the domestic HD DVD, this disc features a PIP video stream. The studio is billing this feature as “Beowulf in the Volume”, a reference to the soundstage that was used for motion-capture shooting. The PIP video stream is comparable to the one found on Warner’s 300 HD DVD. For the length of the movie, you can watch real human actors performing their scenes as well as animatics.

“A Hero’s Journey: The Making of Beowulf” is a half-hour examination of the production. This one provides numerous behind-the-scenes footage and comparison shots of motion-capture with final-product scenes. “A Hero’s Journey” is surprisingly substantive and almost devoid of back-slapping self-praise.

“A Hero’s Journey” includes an interactive option. Basically, you get a “pop-up” trivia track as well as branching featurettes.

You can watch the branching featurettes by themselves in “The Journey Continues”.

“Beasts of Burden: Designing the Creatures of Beowulf” examines the development of the movie’s monsters.

“The Origins of Beowulf” discusses the story’s roots.

“Creating the Ultimate Beowulf” highlights the intensive work by actor Ray Winstone and computer-effects specialists to mold a memorable protagonist.

“The Art of Beowulf” heaps praise on production designer Doug Chiang, whom Zemeckis admits basically created the movie’s entire look.

“A Conversation With Robert Zemeckis” is a recording of Zemeckis at a Q-and-A session at USC (where he attended college).

A collection of eleven deleted scenes reveals how the movie looked during early animatics stages. (The SD DVD only has six deleted scenes.)

Finally, you get Beowulf’s theatrical trailer and an Easter Egg featuring John Malkovich.

--Miscellaneous--
The Blu-ray seems to be lacking the HD DVD set’s Internet interactivity, though with HD DVD’s demise, there’s not much HD DVD Internet interactivity to be had anyway.