I hoped for so much something as great as 'Vikings,' or 'The Last Kingdom,'but it felt like an episode of Doctor Who (i.e. more for kids and sets that look like sets). Then after a lot of irritated huffing and puffing on my part, I realised it has been made for a young audience who would get the most from this ambitious reworking and I expect these it would delight. I can't rate this properly as it wasn't made for me, but if I look back to my earlier tastes in life, am sure I'd have revelled in this show. The time slot should have given me a clue that it wasn't intended for me and all the gripes I had are answered by it being reworked for it's target audience which doesn't include me. From childhood to 24 I expect I'd have loved this version of Beowulf. I hope enough of it's target audience find it.
70 Reviews
A few sparks on the outfits and fields aside, Beowulf is weighted down by inconsistent narrative and sketchy special effect.
quincytheodore4 January 2016
Comparison inevitably will be made to The Vikings since these shows walk on the same genre. However, Beowulf is the more casual of the two, using special effect and colorful scenery for broader demographic, a bit like the animation from years earlier only without CG Angelina Jolie. This direction if fine, not all recent works must be brooding and gritty, although Beowulf suffers from erratic shifts in plot as well as a few dubious displays of mythical creatures.
It is noticeable that the story pushes the titular Beowulf into many tribulations from the first steps. Unfortunately, this sets up too many subplots at the same time. Characters are being murdered, betrayed and chased even before any connection could be made to any of them, which presents a couple of strange seemingly rushed developments. It also tries to present some mystery and political struggle, but these aspects lack depth since they have to share the scene with many other angles like childhood memories or shoehorned romance.
Much of the resources evidently went to costume and setting. The attires these characters don are incredibly polished, certainly different yet appreciated fashion from typical medieval series. Its surroundings are fairly gorgeous as well, colorful both in human settlement and natural landscape. If any flaws should come from this eye-catching presentation, it's that the characters look a tad too modern for the era.
CG effect is a toss-up, some scenes look terribly crude while few others look very meticulous. At its best, the display of creature is presentable, having decent features and surprising detail on fur or beastly motion. On the other hand, when it falters, it further weakens the immersion since the human characters already react unconvincingly to inorganic monsters.
Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands is a light excursion for wider audience with more colorful presentation, although the cumbersome plot and sloppy CG might undermine that effort.
It is noticeable that the story pushes the titular Beowulf into many tribulations from the first steps. Unfortunately, this sets up too many subplots at the same time. Characters are being murdered, betrayed and chased even before any connection could be made to any of them, which presents a couple of strange seemingly rushed developments. It also tries to present some mystery and political struggle, but these aspects lack depth since they have to share the scene with many other angles like childhood memories or shoehorned romance.
Much of the resources evidently went to costume and setting. The attires these characters don are incredibly polished, certainly different yet appreciated fashion from typical medieval series. Its surroundings are fairly gorgeous as well, colorful both in human settlement and natural landscape. If any flaws should come from this eye-catching presentation, it's that the characters look a tad too modern for the era.
CG effect is a toss-up, some scenes look terribly crude while few others look very meticulous. At its best, the display of creature is presentable, having decent features and surprising detail on fur or beastly motion. On the other hand, when it falters, it further weakens the immersion since the human characters already react unconvincingly to inorganic monsters.
Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands is a light excursion for wider audience with more colorful presentation, although the cumbersome plot and sloppy CG might undermine that effort.
It could surprise us but we'll see...
mikipetreskii5 January 2016
I just saw the first episode and I'd like to see the next one. It's not a bad show but its neither great.
First let me point out few bad things I've noticed in the episode.
1. Lots of similarities/resemblance with Game of Thrones -We can notice that even by watching the intro for Beowulf TV show, also the Wall, there is "bad" Queen and spoiled brat Prince who is Queen's son. Also we got here an adviser who "knows" almost everything and always remains in the shadow like Lord Varys, and etc etc.
2. Bad CGI and there is lots of CGI we can all agree on that. -I understand that the environment of the story requires CGI but hopefully they'll get better, they must get better if they wanna make great show.
3. Long pauses between scenes. -Its like they want to show us the stage they have set for the show over and over, and whenever a new scene is coming, the camera goes all over the scene mostly without people and talking.
Okay, these are the main bad things I've noticed in the first episode. Now the good things.
1. The writing! -Oh boy, I loved it! The dialogue isn't what you hear in almost 90% of the show, its so realistic, honest, logical and so on and on. I wish there was more of this!
2. The story. -I know nothing about Beowulf, except the movie, but I'm interested in learning more by watching this show. This show might just do that if its done the right way! It has it's potential, but they must be careful because in my opinion, I'd hate to see Beowulf as medieval detective who solves murders, catches bad guys and stuff like that which is so casual in todays shows.
3. The actors -This is not fashion show where we get to see every single actor to be like a model, which is perfect! They are all likable to look at and they blend in very well. The actors are rather good and they add huge amount of realism to the show.
Well to keep it short, an overall opinion: -I liked what I saw and I'm interested in seeing more with a bit of a hope that they'll try and keep trying to do better and better job!
First let me point out few bad things I've noticed in the episode.
1. Lots of similarities/resemblance with Game of Thrones -We can notice that even by watching the intro for Beowulf TV show, also the Wall, there is "bad" Queen and spoiled brat Prince who is Queen's son. Also we got here an adviser who "knows" almost everything and always remains in the shadow like Lord Varys, and etc etc.
2. Bad CGI and there is lots of CGI we can all agree on that. -I understand that the environment of the story requires CGI but hopefully they'll get better, they must get better if they wanna make great show.
3. Long pauses between scenes. -Its like they want to show us the stage they have set for the show over and over, and whenever a new scene is coming, the camera goes all over the scene mostly without people and talking.
Okay, these are the main bad things I've noticed in the first episode. Now the good things.
1. The writing! -Oh boy, I loved it! The dialogue isn't what you hear in almost 90% of the show, its so realistic, honest, logical and so on and on. I wish there was more of this!
2. The story. -I know nothing about Beowulf, except the movie, but I'm interested in learning more by watching this show. This show might just do that if its done the right way! It has it's potential, but they must be careful because in my opinion, I'd hate to see Beowulf as medieval detective who solves murders, catches bad guys and stuff like that which is so casual in todays shows.
3. The actors -This is not fashion show where we get to see every single actor to be like a model, which is perfect! They are all likable to look at and they blend in very well. The actors are rather good and they add huge amount of realism to the show.
Well to keep it short, an overall opinion: -I liked what I saw and I'm interested in seeing more with a bit of a hope that they'll try and keep trying to do better and better job!
Vikings vs Monsters, Classic
chuckwallah11 January 2016
This series isn't great. This series is very entertaining. I wish the series creators hadn't gone for the easy option of calling it Beowulf because that's what niggles people like me. For heavens sake think up a new norse name to call your hero and eliminate all the pedant complaints, this is just asking for bad reviews. My son, who has actually been made to read the saga of Beowulf at school tells me that Beowulf died. I don't know if that's actually true but if he believes it then many others of his age will also. My son is extremely scornful of the series without even bothering to watch any of it.My son is probably the target audience of this series. Nuff said.
Shadowed by Game of Thrones...but what isn't?
c-howard8423 February 2016
I first turned Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands on by mistake and quickly realized that this show could be an interesting watch. I have been pleasantly surprised and at times, I have only been mildly disappointed.
If you enjoy fantasy story telling, decent sword fight choreography, and minor attempts at comedy then give it a try. I don't think you will be too disappointed.
BUT...For the people who are easily dissuaded by mid talent acting and a bit of copy cat antics then I feel you will not enjoy watching it.
A lot of people are bashing it because it is trying too hard to be Game of Thrones. The title sequence is a direct copycat and really takes away from the show. Once people see and hear it they immediately get turned off and want nothing to do with it. There are small inadequacies that push the viewer to eye rolling but most of them can be overlooked. The story isn't the strongest but you can't compare it to GoT, that is unfair. If you compare ANYTHING to GoT it would be unfair.
If I was allowed to change ONE thing only...I would take away the title sequence and replace it with something individual. I believe wholeheartedly that it's a huge issue for people and will cause the show to lose some major viewers.
Don't give up on it after the first episode. It takes a little time to get rolling. It's really not a bad watch at all. Give it a try.
If you enjoy fantasy story telling, decent sword fight choreography, and minor attempts at comedy then give it a try. I don't think you will be too disappointed.
BUT...For the people who are easily dissuaded by mid talent acting and a bit of copy cat antics then I feel you will not enjoy watching it.
A lot of people are bashing it because it is trying too hard to be Game of Thrones. The title sequence is a direct copycat and really takes away from the show. Once people see and hear it they immediately get turned off and want nothing to do with it. There are small inadequacies that push the viewer to eye rolling but most of them can be overlooked. The story isn't the strongest but you can't compare it to GoT, that is unfair. If you compare ANYTHING to GoT it would be unfair.
If I was allowed to change ONE thing only...I would take away the title sequence and replace it with something individual. I believe wholeheartedly that it's a huge issue for people and will cause the show to lose some major viewers.
Don't give up on it after the first episode. It takes a little time to get rolling. It's really not a bad watch at all. Give it a try.
Just Too Woke
mwgfgrey26 March 2022
Really with the Varni, smelters and blacksmiths? Horribly casted. Only liked Beowulf, Joanne, Hurt and Gisli(Vidar from Netflix's Ragnarok). The CGI was horrible and so was the storyline. Even Abrecan was horribly casted. This show just had too much cringe. I'll stick to the cgi movie thank you very much.
Pretty
Headturner1117 May 2023
Decent once it gets going. I had tried this about 5 times and always turned it off about 3 minutes in. This time I looked at the episodes and went to ( I think 3)? The one that looked like a kingdom( I like anything like that) even if there's the occasional monster that is awful! Tho I generally can't stand supernatural creatures in general I did like GOT monsters and a few others. I always forget who Joanne Whalley is! Lol. I she finally dropped Kilmer from her name. Lol. I like Laura Donnelly and love Holly Earl! It's a shame she didn't use her real accent and I wish there were more seasons as I've run out of everything and am watching what I can take of Merlin atm.
Horrible.
rolfejr-082787 May 2019
Bad acting. Inaccurate view of the era/location, even considering it's based on a myth. Within the first 20 minutes of episode 1 you are introduced to a multicultural Britain. Several Africans and Indians are present. Even families who have integrated into the society. I could see MAYBE a foreign slave or two but even that would be far-fetched with no historical justification. In short, another attempt to infiltrate European history with multiculturalism and ruin a great piece of European identity. Even setting this aside, it still sucks. A clear (and horrible) attempt to ride the Vikings/Game of Thrones fanwagon.
Not GOT but is it supposed to be?
wrusst19 January 2016
I think the main issue with the reviews and what I have heard seem to be comparison to Game of Thrones.
I think its very harsh to review a show on a single episode but now we are on 3 I feel its starting to reveal more of its true nature.
I am a GOT fan and admit the intro was a big mistake but if we judge this on its own merit and the fact its based for family popcorn viewing on a sat night it hits the mark.
We seem to forget GOT s1 was very slow to begin with and a lot of story telling took place but here we are thrust into battle every episode. I think we need to view this for what it is easy but enjoyable viewing ona sat with the kids.
It reminds me more of the Merlin series than GOT to be fair. They obviously used a lot of artistic licence and its fantasy so cant really be compared to vikings. If they used traditional heavy swords the fight scenes would probably have less flair and traditional Armour would have been a bit drab not really vibrant.
It seems this production has gone more USA and relied on fun and monsters . To be fair I've seen worse CGI has no one seen the new Jurassic park? :) and the budget associated with that?
I think its very harsh to review a show on a single episode but now we are on 3 I feel its starting to reveal more of its true nature.
I am a GOT fan and admit the intro was a big mistake but if we judge this on its own merit and the fact its based for family popcorn viewing on a sat night it hits the mark.
We seem to forget GOT s1 was very slow to begin with and a lot of story telling took place but here we are thrust into battle every episode. I think we need to view this for what it is easy but enjoyable viewing ona sat with the kids.
It reminds me more of the Merlin series than GOT to be fair. They obviously used a lot of artistic licence and its fantasy so cant really be compared to vikings. If they used traditional heavy swords the fight scenes would probably have less flair and traditional Armour would have been a bit drab not really vibrant.
It seems this production has gone more USA and relied on fun and monsters . To be fair I've seen worse CGI has no one seen the new Jurassic park? :) and the budget associated with that?
Very entertaining, just don't benchmark it against GOT
amsinawze13 December 2016
I googled for 'TV shows that have been canceled' and out pops Beowulf. The main character on the poster looked a bit like Faramir, and after reading some positive comments on various sites, I was convinced to give it a try. Told myself to keep an open mind; and given that it's only 12 episodes, it shouldn't take very long to finish it right? Well, I was pleasantly surprised. Nevermind that it is nothing like the original material, the premise was enough for me to go on to the next episode, and then on. I found it entertaining. You just have to look beyond the CGI (but it isn't really that bad, I have seen worse- 1st episode of Grimm comes to mind ) and the source material. In regards to the latter, just consider it Beowulf re- imagined and you'll be fine. It deserved better and in my opinion is way better than Merlin, which could never get pass an episode.
In a word ... embarrassing!
purple-mug4 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
So you stumble into a room and find one bloke dead while another bloke's standing over him with a broadsword and despite the fact that the dead bloke seems to show no signs of injury consistent with assault by broadsword you accuse the bloke with the broadsword of murder. Meanwhile the bloke with the broadsword having previously stumbled on the dead bloke with a monstrous creature standing over him assumes that the creature dunnit despite the fact that the dead bloke seems to show no signs of injury consistent with assault by creature. Soon after, the bloke with the broadsword is convicted of murder without any evidence being presented at all, escapes, chases after the creature, cuts its hand off (despite which it is perfectly capable of climbing 30ft of convenient scaffolding to escape) then returns with the hand as proof of his innocence. How this proves anything at all is by no means clear but apparently its good enough to get the charges dropped and then, only then, somebody thinks it might be an idea to actually examine the dead bloke's body (well, wash it, at least) whereupon it emerges that it was neither the bloke with the broadsword nor the monstrous creature but some unknown assailant with a dagger wot dunnit.
You might forgive this kind of inane plotting if it weren't for the fact that the entire cast acts like the job is community service on a wet weekend in Grimsby, devoid of passion of any kind. The only character you can raise any amount of sympathy for is the feisty healer, well at least until it transpires that she's the lover of the wet, spoilt, idiot son of the thane, at which point you give up all hope! The female blacksmith is apparently permanently peeved for no obvious reason, her mother irrationally drawn to the decidedly less than dashing companion of Beowulf, the idiot son of the thane does nothing but shout incoherently, and everybody else shuffles about looking for something to do in order to avoid the whole sorry mess.
By midway through the episode I was already rooting for the monstrous creature which, incidentally, is clearly going to turn out to be something other than the evil beast it appears to be as the clues were laid on by the spadeful. It can rip the whole sorry lot of them to pieces for all I care!
You might forgive this kind of inane plotting if it weren't for the fact that the entire cast acts like the job is community service on a wet weekend in Grimsby, devoid of passion of any kind. The only character you can raise any amount of sympathy for is the feisty healer, well at least until it transpires that she's the lover of the wet, spoilt, idiot son of the thane, at which point you give up all hope! The female blacksmith is apparently permanently peeved for no obvious reason, her mother irrationally drawn to the decidedly less than dashing companion of Beowulf, the idiot son of the thane does nothing but shout incoherently, and everybody else shuffles about looking for something to do in order to avoid the whole sorry mess.
By midway through the episode I was already rooting for the monstrous creature which, incidentally, is clearly going to turn out to be something other than the evil beast it appears to be as the clues were laid on by the spadeful. It can rip the whole sorry lot of them to pieces for all I care!
Wrong comparisons
dhdb00119 January 2016
Most of the criticism I've seen of this series either relates to the CGI creatures or that it is unrealistic and compares badly to Game of Thrones and Vikings. This is not comparing like for like. The series is obviously intended as a family show, with appeal to younger viewers, reflected by it's 7pm time slot. Better comparisons would be to shows like Primeval, which relied on CGI creatures, or The Three Musketeers and Merlin, which took well known works and expanded the story in new directions. Three episodes in the series is coming to life. It almost has the feel of the Wild West, with Herot as a frontier town and Beowulf becoming a character rather like a town sheriff. There are several strong female characters and much centres around Rheda and her attempts to retain power, while different factions plot to undermine her. Looking forward to seeing where the story goes and how other elements of the original poem will be woven into the plot. I hope it plays well with it's intended audience, maybe a Saturday evening slot would have worked better, capturing viewers with Dr Who withdrawal symptoms.
Worthwhile watching!
memagz-2349925 April 2016
I do like the show. It is an ancient epic saga (a fantasy if you will), and I consider it well done in it's class/category. Sure a bit of artistic license was taken and really besides the 3 major adventures written in the Beowulf who knows what he did during his full life! It's a STORY! In regards to the issues of other reviewers there seem to be with woman in strong roles and people of different ethnic groups, there have been times throughout history where woman have been highly important figures in their societies AND there has been evidence of different ethnic peoples found in the Scandinavian countries. SO what if it's a bit more in the show than we think may have existed... The acting is good, yes I have seen better in some cases but I have seen worse on shows which have stayed on for more than 1 season!!! I liked it at any rate and hope to see a season 2.
Bears little resemblance to the story or medieval Scandinavia, fantasy or otherwise.
milqtst20 February 2019
Crap dialogue, poor casting, constant mangling of the story. They should have called this something else besides Beowulf. Then at least it would just be pablum rather than an affront to cinema, literature, and a great culture.
TERRIBLE-Budget Game of Thrones
tomdaly-1743626 February 2018
O.M.G. To say that this show was terrible would be an UNDERSTATEMENT. It was basically just Game of Thrones only they scrimped on the special effects and aired it before the watershed.
This idea sounded WONDERFUL but the end product was as best campy and at worst like a budget Game of Thrones. Even the THEME MUSIC is reminiscent of the Thrones theme. Whoever conceived this should be fired!
I could go on for hours about the faults of this show but, I'll end on this: Beowulf is a story that has been around for over a thousand years and is ripe for adaptation, but the next time you want to adapt it for TV, stay close to the source material. In short, GET. IT. RIGHT!
This idea sounded WONDERFUL but the end product was as best campy and at worst like a budget Game of Thrones. Even the THEME MUSIC is reminiscent of the Thrones theme. Whoever conceived this should be fired!
I could go on for hours about the faults of this show but, I'll end on this: Beowulf is a story that has been around for over a thousand years and is ripe for adaptation, but the next time you want to adapt it for TV, stay close to the source material. In short, GET. IT. RIGHT!
Entertaining
mtjohnson-1854912 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I just discovered this series and I am glad I decided to ignore the negative reviews and watch if for myself. No, it's not GOT or Vikings. Both those shows have larger budgets, and less comedy. This show with its budget does have drawbacks with the quality of actors, CGI and some of the writing could improve for a more developed storyline. Despite these drawbacks it did quell my GoT itch, lol, was entertaining and delivered on plenty of action scenes. I think if it hadn't came out during the heyday of GoT it may have faired better.
This show shouldn't be compared to GoT, a more accurate comparison level would be Merlin but why compare at all. You have to learn to take what you need and leave the rest, you can suck the joy out of life and entertainment constantly comparing. Give it a try and by episode 3 you will want to finish the season.
This show shouldn't be compared to GoT, a more accurate comparison level would be Merlin but why compare at all. You have to learn to take what you need and leave the rest, you can suck the joy out of life and entertainment constantly comparing. Give it a try and by episode 3 you will want to finish the season.
Extremely bad series!
meilani-345526 February 2019
You can only take so much of watching this garbage. This is a great series to watch if you've got hours and hours of your precious time to waste. It is very low quality in just about every respect. Poor script, lighting, graphics and on and on. William Hurt is probably so ashamed and hoping that no one will know that this is out there. If you're looking to waste your time watching a mind numbing, vapid, frivolous "woke" version of Beowulf, then this may be for you. You might want to consider other forms of entertainment that may be more interesting such as watching paint dry, counting cars in the parking lot, watching the grass grow, etc.. Seriously though, it would probably be a lot more interesting to read Beowulf and maybe watch some well made documentaries about it. This series was just pure rubbish.
uneven, but not meritless
chwalker-christopher12 September 2019
Unlike some of the other reviewers I did watch the whole series. I up-rated it a little because I use a slightly lenient scale for sandal epics and fantasy. Most of the acting is perfectly okay. Sets, costumes, and props are good. The plot twists are predictable, but standard fare. The consistent effort to provide a setting that's coherent (sets, costumes, etc.) made it work, for me. If you don't expect it to connect with the famous epic, there's less to complain of.
Disappointing. On too late for kids, too low brow for adults.
Pigeon_down10 January 2016
When i saw Beowulf in the TV listings, i immediately hoped that a decent drama had been created, based on the historical poem, and produced to a high standard. I was quickly disappointed.
Although the story is very loosely based on the old English poem about a Scandinavian monster terrorising a Danish King, that is pretty much where the similarity ends. You are very quickly introduced to CGI trolls working a in human village in place of oxen, turning a wheel. It is at this point you realise the slant is farther toward the fantasy realm drama than the historical realm drama.
In terms of the characters, they are rather cliché and lacked depth. The sets are OK in parts and in others look like cheap fantasy set pieces. They also seem inconsistent as great halls with cast relief gates in bronze are hardly likely to be the product of a 20 person village. The grandeur of some of the buildings is far out of whack with the population size and any semblance of industry or agriculture.
Casting, and cast diversity - within minutes you are introduced to characters that are obviously Indian Asian, and also Black (African). There are quite a few characters with diverse ethnic origins. Again, if you were expecting something akin to the fantastic 'Vikings' or even the Stars productions like 'Spartacus' forget it.There is no attempt at historical, cultural, or geographic realism as a backdrop for this show.
A Black male actor appears in Arabic dress who speaks with a solid south England accent. I totally get diversity in a modern TV show about modern society, or even in culturally mixed locations like Rome, but in something apparently 'based' on an AngloScandinavian tale/poem it hardly fits. This reality works in both directions, if i were watching a show about the rise of a chieftain in Africa in 300BC, then i'd hardly expect to see the cast featuring heavily with Chinese and white Australian sounding actors (it just drags you out of the show). It's another element that constantly reminds the viewer that there is no historic setting for this and it is little more than a uber low budget Lord of The Rings rip off merged merged with the title Beowulf.
If this show were targeting adults, one has to ask, who watches stuff like this? The script, acting, story seems quite immature. It does feel more like a teen show, however it is on UK TV in a late evening slot. For this reason i suspect it won't pick up the viewers, and won't make a second season.
Although the story is very loosely based on the old English poem about a Scandinavian monster terrorising a Danish King, that is pretty much where the similarity ends. You are very quickly introduced to CGI trolls working a in human village in place of oxen, turning a wheel. It is at this point you realise the slant is farther toward the fantasy realm drama than the historical realm drama.
In terms of the characters, they are rather cliché and lacked depth. The sets are OK in parts and in others look like cheap fantasy set pieces. They also seem inconsistent as great halls with cast relief gates in bronze are hardly likely to be the product of a 20 person village. The grandeur of some of the buildings is far out of whack with the population size and any semblance of industry or agriculture.
Casting, and cast diversity - within minutes you are introduced to characters that are obviously Indian Asian, and also Black (African). There are quite a few characters with diverse ethnic origins. Again, if you were expecting something akin to the fantastic 'Vikings' or even the Stars productions like 'Spartacus' forget it.There is no attempt at historical, cultural, or geographic realism as a backdrop for this show.
A Black male actor appears in Arabic dress who speaks with a solid south England accent. I totally get diversity in a modern TV show about modern society, or even in culturally mixed locations like Rome, but in something apparently 'based' on an AngloScandinavian tale/poem it hardly fits. This reality works in both directions, if i were watching a show about the rise of a chieftain in Africa in 300BC, then i'd hardly expect to see the cast featuring heavily with Chinese and white Australian sounding actors (it just drags you out of the show). It's another element that constantly reminds the viewer that there is no historic setting for this and it is little more than a uber low budget Lord of The Rings rip off merged merged with the title Beowulf.
If this show were targeting adults, one has to ask, who watches stuff like this? The script, acting, story seems quite immature. It does feel more like a teen show, however it is on UK TV in a late evening slot. For this reason i suspect it won't pick up the viewers, and won't make a second season.
Why compare apples with pears?
MeKaNoiZ23 March 2016
There are only a bunch of fantasy serials on TVs. Some are produced for pay-TV by spending a fortune for each episode, like Game of Thrones of HBO. And some are produced with a moderate budget, and you know what you can expect from them.
In this case -as always- 99 percent of the audience just watched the first or first two episodes, and just decided they have the right to judge and give 1-2 stars for a series that they don't actually care.
But there is always a group of people, that really admire those kind of productions. If you can see how the budget effects the production, you can still admire it. It is NOT so easy to produce a medieval fantasy serial without a Lord of the Rings budget. Design and production of all the settings, costumes, CGI are not childs play. And definitely not cheap. That of course restricts the story and the scripts. Which means, do not expect epic war scenes or huge indoor settings for example.
So yes, when I watched the first two episodes, I also saw the elements borrowed from other popular serials like GoT and Vikings. But that is not a reason for not watching. And to all the people that pulled the IMDb rating down after watching 15 minutes of this: you have missed a very good 10 episodes. And just because of your feckless and arrogant behaviour, this serial may not continue. You won't gain anything, but the ones that loved it will lose.
For anyone who is considering watching Beowulf, you should know that this is a British TV serial. Nothing you should compare with US series that have such budgets to employ celebrities, or shoot it in New Zealand or on Mars! But still... There are many good actors like most of other British productions, settings are very realistic and modest, computer generated monsters are really designed, modeled and blended so amazingly that you cant even decide what is taken to video and what part is generated. And the most important thing, starting from the third episode, the story deepens greatly. There is politics, human relations, fascism, hate, power, struggle, battles and fights. Music is awesome. Settings and sights are awesome. Cinematography is very good. There are many eerie and dark mysteries going on about the races and monsters. So instead of waiting for Game of Thrones for 10 months for just 10 episodes, or as far as I ve heard we are going to wait even 22 months at some point, you can easily watch Beowulf if you are really a fantasy lover.
If you are not, please don't rate something that you don't understand. Cos its unjust!
By the way, it is not a children's series but still naive in some ways, so you should not expect harsh elements like extreme blood or full frontal nudity.
And in short, as someone that have almost finished the first season, I can say this is definitely one of the best fantasy series/serials I have ever watched, and believe me I have watched at least 99 percent of that genre from medieval to futuristic.
In this case -as always- 99 percent of the audience just watched the first or first two episodes, and just decided they have the right to judge and give 1-2 stars for a series that they don't actually care.
But there is always a group of people, that really admire those kind of productions. If you can see how the budget effects the production, you can still admire it. It is NOT so easy to produce a medieval fantasy serial without a Lord of the Rings budget. Design and production of all the settings, costumes, CGI are not childs play. And definitely not cheap. That of course restricts the story and the scripts. Which means, do not expect epic war scenes or huge indoor settings for example.
So yes, when I watched the first two episodes, I also saw the elements borrowed from other popular serials like GoT and Vikings. But that is not a reason for not watching. And to all the people that pulled the IMDb rating down after watching 15 minutes of this: you have missed a very good 10 episodes. And just because of your feckless and arrogant behaviour, this serial may not continue. You won't gain anything, but the ones that loved it will lose.
For anyone who is considering watching Beowulf, you should know that this is a British TV serial. Nothing you should compare with US series that have such budgets to employ celebrities, or shoot it in New Zealand or on Mars! But still... There are many good actors like most of other British productions, settings are very realistic and modest, computer generated monsters are really designed, modeled and blended so amazingly that you cant even decide what is taken to video and what part is generated. And the most important thing, starting from the third episode, the story deepens greatly. There is politics, human relations, fascism, hate, power, struggle, battles and fights. Music is awesome. Settings and sights are awesome. Cinematography is very good. There are many eerie and dark mysteries going on about the races and monsters. So instead of waiting for Game of Thrones for 10 months for just 10 episodes, or as far as I ve heard we are going to wait even 22 months at some point, you can easily watch Beowulf if you are really a fantasy lover.
If you are not, please don't rate something that you don't understand. Cos its unjust!
By the way, it is not a children's series but still naive in some ways, so you should not expect harsh elements like extreme blood or full frontal nudity.
And in short, as someone that have almost finished the first season, I can say this is definitely one of the best fantasy series/serials I have ever watched, and believe me I have watched at least 99 percent of that genre from medieval to futuristic.
Great and Horrible at the Same Time
bentleysargeant22 October 2022
Sometimes it's an 8. Sometimes it's a 2. One minute you're like Wow, this is so good. The next you wanna gag it's so stupid and bad. The writers have moments of brilliance and then all of a sudden it's like a whole nother personality who doesn't belong in the movie industry takes over. Seriously, this had so much potential but then all of sudden characters just do the dumbest things making decisons not even 12 year solds would make. It's worth a watch as the acting and special affects are actually pretty darn decent. So go ahead. I enjoyed it. But it's not really something I needed to binge watch or hoped there would be another season. Good with one.
Some of the worst British Television I've seen in years
Mad_Max4216 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Anyone who has watched Game of Thrones and enjoys it will know the standard that it keeps to, being produced by HBO. When the first 'Beowulf:Return to the Shieldlands'episode began you had the title sequence, what's that music I hear?... yes it sounds a bit like the Game of Thrones main theme! What interesting visuals in this cg Title sequence, reminds me of something... oh yes it's sort of like..... Game of Thrones!...
So straight off the people behind this are basically saying 'This is our attempt at Game of Thrones, and we're so lazy that we're not even going to try and come up with our own unique style of title sequence' - EMBARRASSING!
The first shot has some weird things running on a beach, but they're not really running, they look like weird ape things with horns that have been poorly rigged by a 3D artist who was rushed for time. So they sort of limp in an odd way along the beach. OK so the people behind this series didn't seem to put all the money into vfx then! SO where has the money gone? Costumes, set design? Maybe some well known great actors?
Keep watching the episode and you'll see lots of leather costumes, overly designed, mostly dark in colour, just lots of leather everywhere. Somehow the costumes although looking like time was spent on them, look unconvincing and dull, not very cool or stylish, just a bit 'meh'
The more you watch the only familiar face I saw was William Hurt, oh but he's (spoiler!) already dead a third of the way into the episode, oh it's OK we have some flashbacks that use him. But oh well guess he wont be seen again after this episode. Anymore good actors? Nope. the rest of the series we're stuck with this Kieran Bew guy. Kieran Bew is Beowulf.. apparently. To me he looks more like a bloke you'd see in a greasy spoon, enjoying his fried eggs with bacon and baked beans before going about his day on a building site. Either that or he'd be selling mobile phones. This is Beowulf..... BEOWULF! He does not look cool, I don't look at him and think, yeah this guy can fight monsters, hell yeah!.... No he's just an average looking bloke who you'd see down the pub. The rest of the cast seem to be black people or white people with stupid hair styles. Now I have no problem with black people being in Beowulf, there could have been a few around at that period, fair enough. I'm happy to see the blacksmith is a woman who knows how to use a sword. Considering the period and location though I really have to say they went a bit too far with the casting, by the end of episode 2 I'm left with the impression that there are a lot of black people living in Scandinavia, for some reason. I'm all for equality but I think this is too much.
And then I have to move onto production design. Exteriors are fine but not overly memorable. Interiors? Oh dear! The main hall, well basically the production designer seems to love gold and swirls, as that's all you see, EVERYWHERE its GOLD and SWIRLS? Is there any design to it? No it's just messy and all over the place. Money has been thrown into this set, but no thought has. So it ends up looking awful, cheap and tacky!
So what about the overall story from the first 2 episodes? Well in the 1st episode we saw Grendel, and Grendel had feelings for this woman who's like a poor mans Anne Hathaway. SO instead of going around ripping people apart Grendel has feelings now, it's a 21st century Grendel. The 2nd episode is about some shape shifting guy, how does this relate to Beowulf? It doesn't, they may as well have just made up a new hero with a different name, completely different universe etc why bother calling it Beowulf?? Because the people in charge of the project were creatively sterile. The people calling the shots on this production have completely missed the reasons why Game of Thrones works. Everything HBO produces is pretty much film quality, from the cinematography to the costumes and sets. Game of Thrones killed off its biggest actor at the END of series 1. NOT the first episode! You have to give audiences reasons to stay hooked! You need good writing and acting. You need good sets and locations. Beowulf is incredibly lacking in every department, the biggest mistake for me is the casting coupled with the poor writing that takes a great historical legend and turns it into Hollyoaks level Television.
So straight off the people behind this are basically saying 'This is our attempt at Game of Thrones, and we're so lazy that we're not even going to try and come up with our own unique style of title sequence' - EMBARRASSING!
The first shot has some weird things running on a beach, but they're not really running, they look like weird ape things with horns that have been poorly rigged by a 3D artist who was rushed for time. So they sort of limp in an odd way along the beach. OK so the people behind this series didn't seem to put all the money into vfx then! SO where has the money gone? Costumes, set design? Maybe some well known great actors?
Keep watching the episode and you'll see lots of leather costumes, overly designed, mostly dark in colour, just lots of leather everywhere. Somehow the costumes although looking like time was spent on them, look unconvincing and dull, not very cool or stylish, just a bit 'meh'
The more you watch the only familiar face I saw was William Hurt, oh but he's (spoiler!) already dead a third of the way into the episode, oh it's OK we have some flashbacks that use him. But oh well guess he wont be seen again after this episode. Anymore good actors? Nope. the rest of the series we're stuck with this Kieran Bew guy. Kieran Bew is Beowulf.. apparently. To me he looks more like a bloke you'd see in a greasy spoon, enjoying his fried eggs with bacon and baked beans before going about his day on a building site. Either that or he'd be selling mobile phones. This is Beowulf..... BEOWULF! He does not look cool, I don't look at him and think, yeah this guy can fight monsters, hell yeah!.... No he's just an average looking bloke who you'd see down the pub. The rest of the cast seem to be black people or white people with stupid hair styles. Now I have no problem with black people being in Beowulf, there could have been a few around at that period, fair enough. I'm happy to see the blacksmith is a woman who knows how to use a sword. Considering the period and location though I really have to say they went a bit too far with the casting, by the end of episode 2 I'm left with the impression that there are a lot of black people living in Scandinavia, for some reason. I'm all for equality but I think this is too much.
And then I have to move onto production design. Exteriors are fine but not overly memorable. Interiors? Oh dear! The main hall, well basically the production designer seems to love gold and swirls, as that's all you see, EVERYWHERE its GOLD and SWIRLS? Is there any design to it? No it's just messy and all over the place. Money has been thrown into this set, but no thought has. So it ends up looking awful, cheap and tacky!
So what about the overall story from the first 2 episodes? Well in the 1st episode we saw Grendel, and Grendel had feelings for this woman who's like a poor mans Anne Hathaway. SO instead of going around ripping people apart Grendel has feelings now, it's a 21st century Grendel. The 2nd episode is about some shape shifting guy, how does this relate to Beowulf? It doesn't, they may as well have just made up a new hero with a different name, completely different universe etc why bother calling it Beowulf?? Because the people in charge of the project were creatively sterile. The people calling the shots on this production have completely missed the reasons why Game of Thrones works. Everything HBO produces is pretty much film quality, from the cinematography to the costumes and sets. Game of Thrones killed off its biggest actor at the END of series 1. NOT the first episode! You have to give audiences reasons to stay hooked! You need good writing and acting. You need good sets and locations. Beowulf is incredibly lacking in every department, the biggest mistake for me is the casting coupled with the poor writing that takes a great historical legend and turns it into Hollyoaks level Television.
Huge Potential
journalist14 January 2016
What stunning set design! and don't forget the superb, atmospheric score as well as the the script which evokes the period so well......but wait, (we shudder to a halt); oh, what a shame, the series is let down by the otherwise excellent cast in first two scenes who, unfortunately, are somewhat wooden, as well as the presentation of bog-standard SFX in the opening scene. Luckily for the viewer, things improve dramatically as the premiere episode moves on. Having said that, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Remember the early episodes of Games of Thrones? Poor, wooden acting that gave way to fluid, competent portrayals of well-known and beloved characters, who today, are household names.
During episode one, we see the cast struggling somewhat to fit their roles as the rest of us dress in our clothes, and yes, there is some fidgeting, as well as a little tugging here and there as we settle into our outfits, the same can be said, somewhat, of Beowulf's cast.
Are the sets realistic? Trust me, the sets are incredible, reflecting the very highest production values, creating exactly the right atmosphere, especially the Hall of the Mountain King which evokes the very best of Tolkienian fantasy. And what about the villages and towns? Incredibly, I believe they have been built from scratch.
Which reminds me, the titles also look amazing, truly of the era.
Where were we? Oh yes, episode one sees Beowulf as a child bereft, having just witnessed the death of his father following a fight against 'mud-born' trolls. Indeed, we see a very young Beowulf seize the moment and finish off the creatures.
Moving on, the audience witnesses the chronology flip forward and we get to see an older, rather more experienced and mature Beowulf returning home to visit with his beloved step-father Hrothgar, played brilliantly by William Hurt who always shines in these types of roles (remember Ridley Scott's Robin Hood?). However, on arriving, we discover Hrothgar dead and the family engaged in power politics with the crown as the prize. What of Beowulf? We find he is unwelcome, unwelcome indeed......
In closing, before turning over, I recommend you give the show the old college try as the adaptation has much to offer and the production behoves us all to persevere because the later episodes are absolutely first class.
Another excellent ITV production deserving of a heroic 8/10
During episode one, we see the cast struggling somewhat to fit their roles as the rest of us dress in our clothes, and yes, there is some fidgeting, as well as a little tugging here and there as we settle into our outfits, the same can be said, somewhat, of Beowulf's cast.
Are the sets realistic? Trust me, the sets are incredible, reflecting the very highest production values, creating exactly the right atmosphere, especially the Hall of the Mountain King which evokes the very best of Tolkienian fantasy. And what about the villages and towns? Incredibly, I believe they have been built from scratch.
Which reminds me, the titles also look amazing, truly of the era.
Where were we? Oh yes, episode one sees Beowulf as a child bereft, having just witnessed the death of his father following a fight against 'mud-born' trolls. Indeed, we see a very young Beowulf seize the moment and finish off the creatures.
Moving on, the audience witnesses the chronology flip forward and we get to see an older, rather more experienced and mature Beowulf returning home to visit with his beloved step-father Hrothgar, played brilliantly by William Hurt who always shines in these types of roles (remember Ridley Scott's Robin Hood?). However, on arriving, we discover Hrothgar dead and the family engaged in power politics with the crown as the prize. What of Beowulf? We find he is unwelcome, unwelcome indeed......
In closing, before turning over, I recommend you give the show the old college try as the adaptation has much to offer and the production behoves us all to persevere because the later episodes are absolutely first class.
Another excellent ITV production deserving of a heroic 8/10
Single thanks, no return.
lazyaceuk19 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The problem with boxetting is that the thought purpose of the scheduler is lost and shows like this need to stand on their own.
Beowulf was shown on a Sunday at roughly 6pm on the main commercial terrestrial network in the UK a spot normally taken up by game who re-runs or many moons ago 'religious telly'. The time slot may have suited the show, but watching it at random times during the week from a hard drive meant that it just did not connect.
The casting of Beowulf was interesting and to my knowledge this was my first sight of Kieran Bew in the lead. He played the hard/soft approach that Harrison Ford refined in the Indiana films very well but he was never fully believable as the hero of the Shieldlands. Joanne Whalley did her best in a scene chewing role as Rheda the Yarl - head honcho - of the Shieldlands, mixing the cod lines with the various action scenes as well as an actress with her level of experience should. Gregory Fitoussi as Razzak the Warrig prophet enjoyed himself greatly with his bad boy role and lit up each of his scenes with his mischievous delivery. And finally Edward Hogg as Varr, as Rheda's counsel, had a stand out performance passing menacing comment in a manner that mixed Robert De Niro with Julian Clary. Beyond that the acting was no better than day time soap standard for which the directors must play their part in being named and shamed.
The show itself seemed to be hamstrung by its time slot and the modern need to be all things to everybody with unrealistic feminine heroes and a box ticking balance of cast members. Money had clearly been spent on this show as the sets and costumes were of high quality and even the CGI was credible in most cases, especially in the scenes that involved any interaction with the real life characters. The humanization of Elvina's (Laura Donnelly) son was especially well done.
But sadly Beowulf was a punt at the Game of Thrones market which largely failed. The back story of Beowulf and his hidden familial secret, the struggle for power between Rheda and her brother Abrecan (Elliot Cowen), the good vs evil battle between the mudbornes and the red bloods and even the love and lust triangle between Beowulf, Elvina and Slean (Ed Speleers) took too long to develop.
I stayed with this until the final credits on episode 12 but thought of bailing before then. The final battle which straddled the last two episodes was well played but if there had been more of this early on the show may well have kept its audience and got extended.
Clearly the producers were confident of telling more yarns and the final scene with Razzak in the temple of the giants hinted at something worth waiting for, but we will never know. The show has been cancelled.
It is a shame when shows like this get the shunt as it only encourages programme makers to play things safe with more reality or quiz shows. But unfortunately the safe nature of Beowulf is what killed it off. With no edge and a clear target towards the 12 rather than the 15 rating Beowulf will have to rise another day.
Beowulf was shown on a Sunday at roughly 6pm on the main commercial terrestrial network in the UK a spot normally taken up by game who re-runs or many moons ago 'religious telly'. The time slot may have suited the show, but watching it at random times during the week from a hard drive meant that it just did not connect.
The casting of Beowulf was interesting and to my knowledge this was my first sight of Kieran Bew in the lead. He played the hard/soft approach that Harrison Ford refined in the Indiana films very well but he was never fully believable as the hero of the Shieldlands. Joanne Whalley did her best in a scene chewing role as Rheda the Yarl - head honcho - of the Shieldlands, mixing the cod lines with the various action scenes as well as an actress with her level of experience should. Gregory Fitoussi as Razzak the Warrig prophet enjoyed himself greatly with his bad boy role and lit up each of his scenes with his mischievous delivery. And finally Edward Hogg as Varr, as Rheda's counsel, had a stand out performance passing menacing comment in a manner that mixed Robert De Niro with Julian Clary. Beyond that the acting was no better than day time soap standard for which the directors must play their part in being named and shamed.
The show itself seemed to be hamstrung by its time slot and the modern need to be all things to everybody with unrealistic feminine heroes and a box ticking balance of cast members. Money had clearly been spent on this show as the sets and costumes were of high quality and even the CGI was credible in most cases, especially in the scenes that involved any interaction with the real life characters. The humanization of Elvina's (Laura Donnelly) son was especially well done.
But sadly Beowulf was a punt at the Game of Thrones market which largely failed. The back story of Beowulf and his hidden familial secret, the struggle for power between Rheda and her brother Abrecan (Elliot Cowen), the good vs evil battle between the mudbornes and the red bloods and even the love and lust triangle between Beowulf, Elvina and Slean (Ed Speleers) took too long to develop.
I stayed with this until the final credits on episode 12 but thought of bailing before then. The final battle which straddled the last two episodes was well played but if there had been more of this early on the show may well have kept its audience and got extended.
Clearly the producers were confident of telling more yarns and the final scene with Razzak in the temple of the giants hinted at something worth waiting for, but we will never know. The show has been cancelled.
It is a shame when shows like this get the shunt as it only encourages programme makers to play things safe with more reality or quiz shows. But unfortunately the safe nature of Beowulf is what killed it off. With no edge and a clear target towards the 12 rather than the 15 rating Beowulf will have to rise another day.
A beowoke disaster
gothicdoometal29 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
It is bad enough that the show tries to push modern sensitivities trying to make you believe that the Vikings of the era were of asian, African descent but then again everything on the show is a tragedy.
You got home pet trolls, misunderstood monsters that get opressed by bad people, huskarls that look like like 18 year old boy models and ofc bad teenage drama. I can't even begin to describe all the things wrong with that series.
As for the script i will just describe one scene to show how this show is like it was written by a 8 year old
In episode 4 our heroes are in a dire situation. They are besieged by primitive people , they get an innocent father killed and almost half a family because they robbed these primitive people and how do they escape from this? Well they go to face them they don't even fight and they just burn a tomb of some ancestor of these people. The brutal, hardened primitives just fall on their knees and cry and writhe in agony because of that ( I'm not even joking this is literally what happens , this is the scene and our heroes just walk away like gentlemen while the primitives cry their hearts out)
You got home pet trolls, misunderstood monsters that get opressed by bad people, huskarls that look like like 18 year old boy models and ofc bad teenage drama. I can't even begin to describe all the things wrong with that series.
As for the script i will just describe one scene to show how this show is like it was written by a 8 year old
In episode 4 our heroes are in a dire situation. They are besieged by primitive people , they get an innocent father killed and almost half a family because they robbed these primitive people and how do they escape from this? Well they go to face them they don't even fight and they just burn a tomb of some ancestor of these people. The brutal, hardened primitives just fall on their knees and cry and writhe in agony because of that ( I'm not even joking this is literally what happens , this is the scene and our heroes just walk away like gentlemen while the primitives cry their hearts out)
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