History WesternAnimation / Beowulf2007

* CirclingMonologue: Grendel's mother does this to the titular hero. She promises the trifecta of Sex, Money, and Power, strumming every chord of this flawed hero's heart and pride as she circles him.

* VictoriasSecretCompartment: The beginning of shows a girl sneaking a gold coin down her corset.

* WhatTheHellAreYou: Grendel calls out this (in Old English) and Beowulf responds with a BadassBoast.

-->'''Beowulf:''' I am ripper! Tearer! Slasher! Gouger! I am the teeth in the darkness, the talons in the night. Mine is STRENGTH... and LUST... and POWER! [[PunctuatedForEmphasis I! AM! BEOWULF!]]

* SmugSnake: Grendel chuckles at Beowulf challenging him in the nude, but is eventually put on the ropes so badly by his naked opponent that he tries to flee.

* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Although the Zealanders speak in fake, but at least subtle, Danish accents -- Grendel even speaks [[UsefulNotes/HistoryOfEnglish Old English]] -- the Geats speak in the actors' natural accents, which means that the title character, since he's played by Creator/RayWinstone, is a Cockney ("I'm 'ere to kiw your mhonschtah."), and Wiglaf speaks in Creator/BrendonGleeson's usual Irish accent.

* AmbiguousEnding: At the end of the film, [[spoiler:Grendel's mother looks at Wiglaf seductively, likely enticing him to give her a son like Hrothgar and start the cycle again. Depending of how do you interpret Wiglaf's expression, he might be accepting her offer, pondering about the tragedy, or expressing a subtle rage towards her. The novelization has him doing the three things before refusing, although it shows Grendel's mother smiling at the thought she might get her goal sooner or later]].

* AuthorAppeal: The high heels of Grendel's mother were added by director Robert Zemeckis, according to Gaiman and Avary, although Gaiman acknowledged it was a nice touch as several mythological female demons have unnatural feet.

** In his naked fight against Grendel, Beowulf seems to have this if you slow down the film, as there are parts where his genitals would be visible but aren't. Another example, probably in-universe, is Grendel's Mother in human form, who lacks nipples and genitalia (although they might be there under the liquid gold).

* BlackSpeech: Grendel and his mother can only speak Old English. The Spanish dub changes it to regular Spanish splashed with Old English expressions.

* CuteMonsterGirl: Grendel's mother and the mermaid.

* DevilButNoGod: While it is never revealed if Grendel and his kin are literal demons, they are the only supernatural creatures in the setting: the humans are left to face them with just their iron swords and the strength of their arms (a human witch capable of doing real magic appears in the novelization, but she's clearly not in their league). Better exemplified by Hrothgar when he says the gods won't do for them what they won't do by themselves.

* FatalFlaw: Beowulf has many, but {{Pride}} and {{Lust}} conspire to bring him down. One is heavily foreshadowed: [[spoiler:his weakness for women is obvious in his memory of the mermaid seducing him, and makes his eventual acquiescence to Grendel's mother easy to see coming. And just as Grendel is King Hrothgar's wild indulgence taken to its most horrific extreme, Beowulf's dragon-son is his own youthful arrogance flying out to meet him.]]

** Beowulf's story about his encounter with sea monsters has him claim that one of said monsters pulled him underwater, but he instantly killed it in retaliation, thus explaining why he lost the swimming race he was participating in. However, this story reveals his status as an UnreliableNarrator, because [[spoiler:that "monster" was in fact a beautiful mermaid, with whom Beowulf slept. This foreshadows how Grendel's mom later seduces him, as well as his attempt to cover up what really happened.]]

* HiddenDepths: The novelization gives insight to many characters's heads compared to the film. For instance, it shows Grendel knowing the Norse gods thanks to having been taught by his mother, Wiglaf worrying at the beginning of the story that Beowulf might have legitimately gone a bit off his rocker after so many battles, Beowulf himself believing he might have been cursed by Grendel's blood, Wealthow pondering that dragons and supernatural beings should be left alone instead of exterminated, and the dragon lamenting that he doesn't know his place in the world due to his dual nature and heritage.
* HighHeeledFeet: Grendel's mother has high heels in her disguised form, despite also being barefoot.

* MadeOfPlasticine: Grendel's arm gives out somewhat easily to the door slamming on it, being ripped out clean. However, given his clearly malformed/ill physiology, his flesh might be effectively softer than human flesh when in normal size. It is less justifiable in the dragon, [[spoiler:whose bizarrely diminutive heart is pulled off by Beowulf with relative ease.]]

* MysteriousPast: The novelization states Grendel's mother is so old that she barely remembers her own past. She knows she had a mother, but cannot remember her or her own name, and ignores if she ever had a father, suggesting that the cycle of revenge might be older than expected and that her father was a human just like Grendel and the dragon's.

* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Although the Zealanders speak in fake, but at least subtle, Danish accents -- Grendel even speaks [[UsefulNotes/HistoryOfEnglish Old English]] -- the Geats speak in the actors' natural accents, which means that the title character, since he's played by Creator/RayWinstone, is a Cockney ("I'm 'ere to kiw your mhonschtah."), and Wiglaf speaks in Brendon Gleeson's usual Irish accent.

* OhCrap: The Geats, save for Beowulf, when Grendel bangs on the door of the mead hall, and then when he bursts into the mead hall.

* PhallicWeapon: Beowulf's sword Hrunting is given this treatment (or a rather exaggerated version) for visual poetry while talking to Grendel's Mother, who gives the sword a long caressing which makes the weapon's tip "ejaculate" liquid metal before flowing off entirely. [[spoiler:It foresees Beowulf succumbing entirely to her charms and promises.]]

* RedRightHand: The movie gives Grendel's Mother the power to assume the pleasing form of Creator/AngelinaJolie, but she has a prehensile and whip-like ponytail, as well as humorously high-heeled bare feet.

* SeaMonster: The cyclopean sea serpents, which are described in the novelization as "the ravenous children of great Jörmungand, who holds all Midgard in his coils... The spawn of matings between Loki’s dragon child and all manner of eels and sharks and hideous sea worms".

* SomethingElseAlsoRises: Grendel's Mother caresses Beowulf's sword while talking to him, emitting some magical light from her fingers, and at the end of the talk the weapon melts off from tip to hilt. This is obviously a visual metaphor for [[spoiler:seduction of Beowulf and his eventual capitulation.]]

* SpareAMessenger: Beowulf tells his men to give the SoleSurvivor of a Fresian raiding party a gold piece and send him home to add to his legend.

* TalkingToPlants: A dying Grendel talks to the trees in his way back to the cave in the novelization, and they seem to talk back, shunning him because there was "some long-ago war with the giants and the dragons, and to them Grendel’s blood stinks of both". He might be simply hallucinating due to the fear and blood loss, though.

-->'''Hrothgar''': She is no hag Beowulf, we both know that.

* DevilButNoGod: While it is never revealed if Grendel and his kin are literal demons, they are the only supernatural creatures in the setting: the humans are left to face them with just their iron swords and the strength of their arms (a human witch capable to do real magic appears in the novelization, but she's clearly not in their league). Better exemplified by Hrothgar when he says the gods won't do for them what they won't do by themselves.

* {{Fanservice}}: There is plenty of slutty wenches in Heorot, but [[BestKnownForTheFanservice everyone remembers]] Creator/AngelinaJolie as Grendel's mother.

* OurMonstersAreDifferent: Different and poorly defined. Grendel, his mother and the dragons are called "demonkind" at least once in the film and several TIMES in supporting materials, while in the novelization she identifies their race as both "dragonkind" and "giants" and is identified herself as a mermaid or sea creature. Apparently, the only known facts about their race is that it is incredibly ancient and that it came from the sea. Otherwise, they are "neither troll nor giant nor dragon-kin, and yet perhaps something of all three, some night race spawned in the first days of creation, when Midgard was still new, and then hunted, driven over uncountable millennia to the brink of oblivion," perhaps even the legendary Jötnar.

* OurMonstersAreDifferent: Different and poorly defined. Grendel, his mother and the dragons are called "demonkind" at least once in the film and several in supporting materials, while in the novelization she identifies their race as both "dragonkind" and "giants" and is identified herself as a mermaid or sea creature. Apparently, the only known facts about their race is that it is incredibly ancient and that it came from the sea. Otherwise, they are "neither troll nor giant nor dragon-kin, and yet perhaps something of all three, some night race spawned in the first days of creation, when Midgard was still new, and then hunted, driven over uncountable millennia to the brink of oblivion," perhaps even the legendary Jötnar.

* NoNameGiven: Just as in the poem, neither Grendel's mother or the dragon are named, they're only referred to as 'Grendel's mother' and 'dragon'. The novelization of the film even implies Grendel's mother has forgotten her own name; it explains the ancient men that worshipped her called her Hertha, Nerthus or Njördr, names of heathen goddesses, but it adds that none of them was her true name and she was no goddess. Otherwise, she is just referred as the "merewife", "demon wife" or "aglaeca" (a real term from the poem whose meaning is a headache for modern linguists).

** Wealthow is greatly expanded from the original source where she was only Hrothgar's queen and the thanes's hostess. In this version she is an unhappy wife and queen, is attracted to Beowulf, and marries him after Hrothgar's death. As a result, she still has a role in the final act of the story, unlike in the poem where she stayed in Denmark while Beowulf returned to Geatland.

* ArtisticLicenseLinguistics: Beowolf's insignia is a wolf, obviously corresponding to his name, at least second half. But his full name actually translates as "bee wolf", kenning meaning "''bear''", such a tradition being relatively common these days.

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Grendel's mother is poorly described in the poem, but is traditionally considered some ugly kind or ogress or witch. In this film she has two forms: one is a sexy siren played by Creator/AngelinaJolie, and the other is a draconic but still rather cute monster.

* AbusiveParents: Played with. Grendel's mother seems quite harsh towards him and he fears her almost as much as he loves her, but she is quite right in her belief that, if Grendel disobeys her by disturbing humans, they will come and try to kill them (or at least him, who is not a magic user like her).

* NonstandardCharacterDesign: Grendel is the only one of his race that isn't draconic, although his few patches of skin seem to feature golden scales.

* TheDoorSlamsYou: Beowulf defeats Grendel this way. He traps Grendel in the doorway of the mead hall with a chain around his (Grendel's) wrist, and when Beowulf slams the door shut, the impact rips Grendel's arm off.

* OffWithHisHead: Hondshew tries to do this to Grendel, but the sword gets stuck in Grendel's scalp. Grendel doesn't take it lying down either: [[spoiler:Grendel bites off Hondshew's head and eats it infront of Beowulf.]]

* NakedFirstImpression: Beowulf presents himself to Grendel in the nude, and Grendel's mother comes to Beowulf in a human shape only covered in golden body paint, which clearly helps him to accept her pact.

* NakedFirstImpression: Beowulf presents himself to Grendel in the nude, and Grendel's mother comes to Beowulf in a human shape only covered in golden body paint, which clearly helps him to accept her treat.

* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Beowulf and Wealthow fall in LoveAtFirstSight with each other. When Wealthow asks one of the horny wenches if she wants to get in bed with Beowulf, she says that it is not her whom he has the hots for. Hrothgar also notices it right away but he cares very little [[spoiler:going as far as "willing" his queen to Beowulf along with his kingdom before he jumps to his death]].

* DullSurprise: Creator/JohnMalkovich's performance was quite wooden - whether due to being unused to voice-acting or what is unknown, but hearing him "rant" at Beowulf for an insult in a monotonous tone while his character model is fairly animated is off-putting.

* DownerEnding: If we interpret the ending as [[spoiler:Wiglaf falling for the offer of Grendel's mother and starting again the CycleOfRevenge with more monsters likely coming to plague the land]].

* DevilButNoGod: While we are never revealed if Grendel and his kin are literal demons, they are the only supernatural creatures in the setting: the humans are left to face them with just their iron swords and the strength of their arms (a human witch capable to do real magic appears in the novelization, but she's clearly not in their league). Better exemplified by Hrothgar when he says the gods won't do for them what they won't do by themselves.

* SerendipitiousSurvival: After killing Grendel, Beowulf [[CatapultNightmare wakes up]] to find to his horror that all his men have been murdered and their bodies hung up in the rafters. Obviously Beowulf was left alive, but Wiglaf only survived because he had been down at the beach preparing their boat for departure that morning. He would have been killed too had he been in the hall with the rest of them.

*** When does this happen in the film? Not to sound accusatory, I don't remember Grendel murmuring " killing" at any point.