BEOWULF on Esquire TV (1/23/16)

[Bosco685]

I don't think I even saw this mentioned. Interesting!

 

 

 

 

Anyone catch this last night?

[Bosco685]

A rare Beowulf adaptation that disregards history and goes for unapologetic fantasy

 

ITV’s Beowulf (airing on Esquire in the United States) leaves no room for such ambiguity. In the very first scene, a flashback to Beowulf’s childhood shows him and his father galloping on horseback down the beach, pursued by two computerized trolls that look like a cross between goats and bears. They’re not of the Grendel clan—trolls are just a part of this world, as are giant lupine creatures called Barghests and a rabid lemur of a baddie that may or may not be Grendel himself. An eventual severed limb and the fact that Beowulf and the other characters refer to the beast as “Mud-Born” strengthen the connection to the main villain of the source material.

 

To further drive home that their version of Beowulf is an unapologetic sword-and-sorcery fantasy, creators James Dormer, Tim Haines, and Katie Newman move the poem’s setting from Denmark to an imaginary realm called The Shieldlands. Even so, the production wisely filmed the fortress of King Hrothgar (William Hurt) just south of the rural English village of Eastgate, meaning the series’ Danes (er, Shieldlanders) still inhabit an environment hallmarked by mud, weatherbeaten hills, and iron-gray skies.

 

ITV and Esquire could take a lesson from HBO in the pacing of its battles, not to mention the amount of blood and guts splattered across the countryside. As family-friendly as Beowulf is trying to be, a little bit of the red stuff goes a long way when adding some excitement to a fantasy epic, a TV market that’s admittedly become oversaturated since Game Of Thrones premiered back in 2011. Even the most cerebral series in the genre (which Beowulf certainly is not) should still appeal somewhat to viewers’ collective dragon brain, especially if it’s the kind of show that might have an actual dragon in its future. And after seeing those trolls bound across the sand less than 30 seconds in, Beowulf definitely seems like that kind of show.

[PovertyRow]

Watched a couple of eps so far. Definitely better than I was expecting it to be. The opening credits are a little off-putting as the music and the graphics are not un-reminiscent of GAME OF THRONES. In other areas it also feels like a more G-Rated GOT. My only other quibble is the dialogue is a bit too mumbled at times.

[Ken Aldred]

I found it quite boring and gave up after one episode.

 

[PovertyRow]

I found it quite boring and gave up after one episode.

 

Finished the first 4. They get progressively better but also progressively more like GOT in plot lines and character selections. That worries me. I can see this not being picked up.

[Bosco685]

Watched a couple of eps so far. Definitely better than I was expecting it to be. The opening credits are a little off-putting as the music and the graphics are not un-reminiscent of GAME OF THRONES. In other areas it also feels like a more G-Rated GOT. My only other quibble is the dialogue is a bit too mumbled at times.

 

I thought the same thing with the show opening credits. And I thought it was my TV speakers at first, some of the characters spoke so softly.

 

It was a decent pilot episode. But the actor playing Beowulf is so reserved at times, he doesn't come across like the more boastful Ray Winstone version from the Neil Gaiman-scripted movie.

 

 

[Ken Aldred]

I found it quite boring and gave up after one episode.

 

Finished the first 4. They get progressively better but also progressively more like GOT in plot lines and character selections. That worries me. I can see this not being picked up.

 

Maybe I should’ve persisted with it? Another derivative-feeling series is ‘The Last Kingdom’ from the BBC, which, with regard to English history, covers much the same ground as ‘Vikings’, and with similar inaccuracies. I did watch the entire first series of that, and so perhaps when Beowulf arrived I was suffering a little from overexposure fatigue?

 

[fantastic_four]

Didn't know about it until just now. Set it to record.

[Bosco685]

Episode 2 gets even better.

 

I like that they are including creatures from the mythology. But they also added a shapeshifter (they call it a skin-shifter). It at least puts a twist on the traditional story. Add to this those big trolls that they also capture to treat as work beasts, and it is slightly different than Vikings, Game of Thrones and Shannara.

 

But now we may be coming up on fantasy overload on close to the same themes.

[Bosco685]

Oh, and David Harewood has quite the tough role.

 

[Bosco685]

Episode 3 has loads of action and adventure, along with power play twists.

 

For me, this show is starting to fall into its own category due to the unique worldcraft and storyline. It plugs in fantasy beasts as well to help make this stand out, which you don't see in History Channel's 'Vikings' and only the dragons in HBO's 'Game of Thrones'. Though with the latter, you do have spots of magic creatures and giants.

 

David Harewood as Scorann (Martian Manhunter) finally starts to work for me in this role. He delivers some brutal fight scenes this episode. But then

 

 

 

...he dies in battle with glory, taking out the bandits that had imprisoned him.

 

 

[fantastic_four]

Saw episode 1...wasn't as good as Vikings. Good enough to try another episode or two.

[Bosco685]

Saw episode 1...wasn't as good as Vikings. Good enough to try another episode or two.

 

By Episode 6 it gets even better.

[fantastic_four]

Saw episode 1...wasn't as good as Vikings. Good enough to try another episode or two.

 

By Episode 6 it gets even better.

 

Got four episodes stacked up to watch...having trouble motivating myself to click on episode 2.

[Bosco685]

Beowulf was in love with a shape-shifter?

 

 

The one thing I am not caring for with the show is Beowulf doesn't really feel very in-charge. If anything, he seems to take plenty of orders. That doesn't seem like the character of lore.

[Bosco685]

I really wanted to like this show. But there is something about the main character and some of the supporting cast that just feels off.

 

The sets are good. The royal hall with gold-covered walls is impressive, though it doesn't feel realistic with all that gold. But it's that main character not being brash and bold like you would expect of Beowulf that detracts from the delivery. Add to this scenes like the 'village invasion' where you have ten to twelve extras running into a group of 30-40 people and it just doesn't feel impressive enough.

 

This is where Vikings at least has a leg up, as they will have a few hundred people battling it out so you get a feeling for a city being invaded. Not play-acting like kids running at one another calling out 'pretend I'm the leader of 200-300 warriors attacking you'.

 

It's not all bad. But there is just enough to take away from the experience you feel like something is lacking in the execution of the show.

 

[Bosco685]

Either the producers of this show are reading this thread, or they are poor season planners. But tonight is where all the money was spent to have a massive battle. What appeared like hundred of extras.

 

And there is an Indiana Jones scene where the leader of the invaders has his best warrior come out so he can brag about all the locals he has killed. He learns real quick why not to brag in front of Beowulf.

 

 

Although it still comes across like a lower budget version of Game of Thrones, tonight was much better than all the other episodes (and this was Episode 12).