Beowulf & Grendel (2005)

48% of critics liked it
(33 reviews)
42% of users liked it
(25,897 ratings)

One of the oldest epic poems in the English language gets a robust visual interpretation in this historical epic shot on location in Iceland. Hrothgar (Stellan Skarsgård) is a Danish king who murders a troll that has been terrorizing his countryside. But Hrothgar spares the life of the troll's… More One of the oldest epic poems in the English language gets a robust visual interpretation in this historical epic shot on location in Iceland. Hrothgar (Stellan Skarsgård) is a Danish king who murders a troll that has been terrorizing his countryside. But Hrothgar spares the life of the troll's strange young son, who with the passage of years grows to become Grendel (Ingvar Sigurdsson), a fearsome warrior intent upon avenging his father's death. As Grendel begins his slaughter of the king's closest confidants, Hrothgar realizes his life is in danger, and he calls upon the brave and fearless Beowulf (Gerard Butler) to track down and kill Grendel. As Beowulf and his band of warriors search for the vicious and elusive Grendel, he crosses paths with Selma (Sarah Polley), a beautiful and sensuous witch whose alliances are divided between Beowulf and his archenemy. Produced by Canadian, British, and Icelandic concerns, Beowulf & Grendel was a major box-office success in Canada before crossing south to American theaters in the summer of 2006. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 42 min.
Directed By: Sturla Gunnarsson
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Jul 7, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Sep 26, 2006
Studio: Union Station Media

Critic Reviews

Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Trying to give us the true story behind the epic, the movie only reminds us of why humans write epics in the first place.
Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times
A semi-mythic period piece, Beowulf & Grendel offers sublime scenery that's breathtaking and bone-chilling.
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
This gristle-intensive R-rated version of Beowulf travels a predictable revisionist route.
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
A muscular, ardently naturalistic retelling of the ninth-century Anglo-Saxon saga.
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Sturla Gunnarsson's film ultimately lacks the grandeur and wit necessary to make the legend fully come alive.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Unfortunately, there is... jarringly contemporary English dialogue... laced with F-bombs and humor straight out of a Monty Python movie.
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher
The thrilling beauty of this reading of Beowulf is that it makes [the characters] feel modern... These people live in the real world, not in a fable and not in a history book.
Keith Breese, Filmcritic.com
ridiculous
James O'Ehley, Sci-Fi Movie Page
Will most likely appeal the most to Medieval history students and die-hard Sword & Sorcery fetishists who get off on all that chain-mail armour and profuse facial hair . . .
Kim Voynar, Cinematical
Gunnarsson has made a film that would make the real Beowulf and Grendel, if they ever really existed, quite proud.
Marty Mapes, Movie Habit
A fascinating trip to the dark ages and a good story well told
Scott Weinberg, DVDTalk.com
If you're game for a strange and beautiful-looking new version of the (very) old legend, you can safely give this one a rental.
Annlee Ellingson, Boxoffice Magazine
Beowulf's reality-driven approach suffers for lack of scope and questionable poetic license.
Chuck Wilson, L.A. Weekly
[You can] feel the filmmakers yearning to have Beowulf and Grendel go all Rambo on each other. Instead, they keep pulling back for more Old English angst, as if they're torn between commerce and winning the approval of their high school English teacher.
Andy Klein, Los Angeles CityBeat
...realistic, [but] Polley...is woefully miscast.
Peter Sobczynski, eFilmCritic.com
Aside from some nice Icelandic scenery, Beowulf & Grendel is a ludicrous botch.
Nathan Rabin, AV Club
Andrew Rai Berzins' script spruces up long stretches of Old English with unexpected bursts of cussing and gleeful vulgarity that feel as misguided as everything else in the film.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

John M

Decent retelling of the classic tale
Lanning :

Ah, pretty fast and loose with the source here. Which sometimes is not disastrous. This is not a full-blown disaster, but it's definitely not <i>Beowulf</i> either. Call it a fully blown half-blown disaster.
danny d

this movie was really fun to watch. gerard butler is always good and it portayed the original story decently. the movie is little known so i assume they didnt have a lot of budget to work with, and it some ways that shows, but this is a pretty good movie.
Ginny

Heres a movie with a great story concept and good cinematography, however the production of the whole thing lacked good directing. Theres only 2 things I hated about this movie, one was the cussing, which I found utterly unecessary and greatly misplaced. the second has to be the… More
Heres a movie with a great story concept and good cinematography, however the production of the whole thing lacked good directing. Theres only 2 things I hated about this movie, one was the cussing, which I found utterly unecessary and greatly misplaced. the second has to be the characters costume, at one point they look overly done and all a-miss from the scene, and then next the'd look like a bunch of low budget performers. Heres 2 and a half stars though, for the interesting and unique storyline. It takes a different route from the usual "Beowulf" story and tells it, "as it was".
Emily A

One of the things I like most about this movie is the levity that carries it. Some movies get so full of themselves that they get bogged down, but not thing one. Stellan Skarsgard plays against type as the weary, drunken, annoyed and befuddled king, and there's a humanity that… More
One of the things I like most about this movie is the levity that carries it. Some movies get so full of themselves that they get bogged down, but not thing one. Stellan Skarsgard plays against type as the weary, drunken, annoyed and befuddled king, and there's a humanity that pervades every character. It gets extra points for referring to Grendel, multiple times, as 'that fucking troll'.
Curtis L

This version of Beowulf sucked.
Luke B

A poor attempt at translating Beowulf. With it's overall cheap look it barely recreates any kind of ancient civilization. It extends all the wrong parts, dragging on and on and then rushing the end. The dialogue is corny with some modernised jokes thrown in which sink without a… More
A poor attempt at translating Beowulf. With it's overall cheap look it barely recreates any kind of ancient civilization. It extends all the wrong parts, dragging on and on and then rushing the end. The dialogue is corny with some modernised jokes thrown in which sink without a trace or laugh. The fight scenes aren't exactly involving and the cock-hungry witch adds nothing to the story. Barely kept my attention, or my consciousness. Can't wait for Zemeckis'version which will eaither amaze, or fall as flat on its arse as this one. Butler was convincing in his role, but nobody else seemed to know where they were or more importantly what they were doing.
Ken S

This movie just reminds me of why myths become myths. Fiction is often more engaging than truth
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]"Beowulf and Grendel" starts in Denmark around 500 AD when Christianity is just starting to make its presence felt. As a child, Grendel witnesses his father being killed by King Hrothgar(Stellan Skarsgard) of Denmark. As a young man(Ingvar E.… More
[font=Century Gothic]"Beowulf and Grendel" starts in Denmark around 500 AD when Christianity is just starting to make its presence felt. As a child, Grendel witnesses his father being killed by King Hrothgar(Stellan Skarsgard) of Denmark. As a young man(Ingvar E. Sigurdsson), he takes revenge against Hrothgar by killing a lot of men around him but leaves him alive for now. When famed hero Beowulf(Gerard Butler) hears of this, he and his men rush to Hrothgar's side to help.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Beowulf and Grendel" has beautiful scenery, lush cinematography and a good cast but it is generally listless and too talky for its own good. It is a shame because there is a message about ethnic cleansing buried here somewhere. [/font]
Kevin M

Great adaptation of an epic tale, with an emphasis on character rather than violent brutality. The scenic shots of Daneland (shot in Iceland) are calming to watch, especially with a great countryside to film. Butler's Beowulf and Sigurdsson's Grendel roles are excellent,… More
Great adaptation of an epic tale, with an emphasis on character rather than violent brutality. The scenic shots of Daneland (shot in Iceland) are calming to watch, especially with a great countryside to film. Butler's Beowulf and Sigurdsson's Grendel roles are excellent, shining above Polley and the remaining B-list talent. It's strangely displeasing to see the director's vision take on a religious spin, since he crams Christianity into the 'Danish god'-fearing characters at every turn. The script is terrible in some moments, noticeable due to some actors' tendencies to dip out of their accent. Butler's briliant acting brings this film up from its otherwise par production.
Sean S

The movie is perhaps a little too authentic to the story. The 8th century guys didn't exactly write for the screen in mind.
FanGirl B

I don't know how the filmmakers could have expected the actors to hold the viewers attention against such epic landscapes. Overall I was very disappointed with this movie. I wish for a change someone would just make the classic ledgend instead of telling the 'real'… More
I don't know how the filmmakers could have expected the actors to hold the viewers attention against such epic landscapes. Overall I was very disappointed with this movie. I wish for a change someone would just make the classic ledgend instead of telling the 'real' story behind the ledgend.