Beowulf - Return to the Shieldlands

[wiseheart]

I've just found the series by accident in St Pölten - never heard of it before. But I am a great fan of the poem and its various interprerations - I own three Vera different films on DVD - and so I bought it. So far, I have seen the first 3 episodes and all the extras, and I must admit that I am blown away. I can't understand why it got so many negative critics and why it was axed. I find it fantastic.

Comments

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

I'd heard of it - and heard the soundtrack - but it doesn't seem to have been shown around here. Maybe I should chase it up :)

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

You should. It is definitely worth the effort.

[bk_forever]

I watched it when it was on here and I loved it. Wish ther was more.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I agree. I especially like the mythology they've built up out of nothing - that the Mudborn creatures have their own variety, from simple beasts through trolls to the sentient skin-changers. And the fact that no matter what the characters might think, things aren't simply black and white.

Oh, and the visuals are gorgeous, too!

[bk_forever]

The acting and action are top-notch too, the whole series, I felt, was consistently high quality. I'm so disappointed it got cancelled.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I've seen the first 6 episodes so far, and I am frankly blown away. The opening sequence alone is a piece of art. It is really a shame that they axed it.

[bk_forever]

I hope you'll enjoy the rest.

Sometimes it seems the shows with the most potential are the ones that get axed.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Alas, that is true. Alien Nation is the best example.

[bk_forever]

Oh yes, I loved that!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

One of the best sci-fi series, ever! With the best thought-out alien race of all times.

[bk_forever]

Not sure I'd go quite that far, but their society and biology were quite detailed.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I am a devout Trekker, and I love Stargate and Babylon 5 and lots of other sci-fi shows, but where world-building is concerned, in my eyes Alien Nation beats them hands down. Exactly the society and the biology - finally someone made the effort to sit down and think through what they wanted their aliens to be like. (Andromeda did the same, in a manner - too bad that most of the background stuff was never shown onscreen.)

I found the series was incredible. The films, afterwards, not so much. I quite liked Dark Horizon, because it dealt with the cliffhanger and actually brought the series to the much-needed closure, but the following films were not always so true to the ideas of the original, and sometimes even the basic plot idea was a bit hair-raising.

What I particularly loved in Dark Horizon was the visuals of the slave ship and the conflict of adapting versus keeping their cultural identity. It was also intriguing that Ahpossno, who was basically the bad guy of the film, served as the inspirations for George's wife, I think Susan was her name, to return to her roots, at least to a certain extent.

[bk_forever]

Babylon 5 is my benchmark for sci-fi, it just struck a chord with me, although I love Stargate, and the Trek series.

I really seriously need to get Alien Nation on DVD for a rewatch, it's been a long tome since it was shown on TV. I liked the original movie that the series was based on, but the series itself was so much better. I remember 'Dark Horizon' better than the other movies that followed, but I haven't seen any Alien Nation in over ten years. Guess I'd better start checking ebay!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

My first love was the original Battlestar Galactica (before I'd fall for Spock's ears), and I still love it with passion. I never managed to endure more than 10 minutes of the so-called "reimagined" series that was a completely different thing, IMO, just bearing familiar names to lure the loyal fans in front of the telly. My BSG is still the old family show, without soft porn and mindless drinking and violence, but with real values, faith and honour.

Alien Nation came into my life much later and I love it on a very different level. I was so lucky to get it on DVD, although without the original film. I recorded that one from German TV, and that is the only version I have, on an old and battered video tape. The other films I bought on original video but wouldn't mind having Dark Horizon on DVD, too. That and the classic Forbidden Planet film, with a young Leslie Nielsen.

I was very lucky a few years ago to find such classics as The Day the Earth Stood Still (the original one, not the remake with Keanu Reeves), Enemy Mine, the classic Andromeda Strain and a couple of others on video. Sometimes you just can't beat the classics. I still hope to one day find the ones I'm still missing.

[bk_forever]

Remakes generally suck. I saw BSG - the original series - first off as two movies at the cinema when I was in my teens, they watched the whole series on TV when it finally came on. Loved it so much, and I have the DVDs. The remake, I saw the start of the mini series, but just hated it.

I grew up with Star Trek on TV, and gravitated towards Spock from an early age because I have a pointed ear and was convinced I was part Vulcan. This was when I was maybe six, so between ST and Doctor Who, my love of Sci-Fi was set in stone at an early age.

OMG, Forbidden Planet is one of my favourite movies! I first saw that when I w\s just a little kid, and tit freaked me out but I adored it! Same with Andromeda Strain, an underrated classic IMHO, and the deservedly highly rated classic Day the Earth Stood Still. Never seen the remake, nor do I want to. I've got Enemy Mine on DVD, that's a great movie too. Actually, I've got Andromeda Strain on DVD too. I taped all of them off the TV but I've gradually replaced them with DVDs when I've had the chance.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I see Torchwood love isn't the only thing we have in common. :)

The Day the Earth Stood Still remake isn't that bad, actually. A bit boring in some places, but it does have some gorgeous visuals (Keanu Reeves isn't one of them). The Andromeda Strain remake would have made an interesting film of it's own but was too far gone from the original, IMO. I find that government conspiracy trope really boring.

[bk_forever]

I'm not really a fan of Keanu Reeves anyway, although I like Matrix.

I was surprised to find thee's an Andromeda Strain mini series, but if it moves away from the original storyline I doubt I'd be interested. I'm too much of a fan of the original. Same with Planet of the Apes - love the original movie and some of the sequels, but not the remakes. Better make-up and special effects do not necessarily make for better movies.

Makes me sad that so few black and white movies get shown on TV these days too. They always used to get shown in the afternoons over here, or on weekends, but now it's all game shows and reality TV.

[artemis10002000]

Sounds interesting. I hadn't heard of the show before or seen it around, but now I'll keep my eyes open for it.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I can definitely recommend it.