Film Fest !

I haven't been to the cinema in a while, so yesterday I saw two films... mostly because a friend of mine really wanted to see Beowulf and I wanted to see Ratatouille, and rather than either of us being disappointed we decided to see both!

Of the two, I'd say mine was the better choice. The animation was superb (there was a night-time shot of Paris which made me say "wow" out loud!) and someone had really spent a lot of time watching how rats move. They have a sort of lolloping scuttle which is very different from the way mice move (I've done a lot of rodent-watching in my time!) Remy, the hero, has more human movements, but watching his fellow rodents was a real blast from the past.

Beowulf, on the other hand, was far less impressive, even though there were lots of computer-generated special effects and enhancements. I found myself wondering whether they'd gotten a special price for re-using costumes and props from the filmsets of Lord of the Rings and Troy. I was also rather disturbed at the rating: it's a 12A. However, there was a lot of gratuitous nudity: I saw far more of Anthony Hopkins and Ray Winston than I ever wanted to... Deft catching of a blanket and use of camera angles preserved Hopkins' modesty, while Ray Winston strode around manfully with several strategically-placed props preserving his. Angelina Jolie was completely naked, but this was a digitally-produced version of her, and so was more reminiscent of Lara-Croft-meets-Barbie than a real woman. There were several very buxom wenches in evidence (though not particularly involved in the plot)... but this really was not what I would consider suitable for 12-year-olds.

All in all, I'd say that the film, while enjoyable, demonstrates the danger of trying to turn a short poem into a full-length film epic.