Ok, so maybe you’re familiar with the term ‘bae’. It seems to have largely gone out of fashion, though where I’m from you couldn’t get away from it a few years ago. Urban Dictionary has this on it:

“AAVE (African-American Vernacular English) pronunciation of “babe,” used as a term of endearment toward loved ones. “Bae” can be a pronoun or an adjective. The term caught fire to mainstream colloquial Standard American English jargon and, due to unfamiliarity with its origins, developed multiple definitions. Trolls and people who dislike its use will often incorrectly juxtapose “bae” with Danish “bæ” which means “poop” (often to shut people up). Others will treat it as an acronym such as “before anyone else.” The term is frowned upon by many, as it is seen as ghetto and uncouth, although its origins are simply dialectal.”

I suspect the title of this film, Bae Wolf, was settled upon purely because like the film itself, it’s not meant to be taken too seriously. However “incorrectly juxtaposed” it may be, the reference to Denmark interested me, not just because it’s the setting for this tale, but particularly as research into the aforementioned similar Danish word suggests it’s most likely to be used by very small children in a sniggery kind of way; once again, fitting (in a way that satisfies my inner juvenile utterly).

It sets the stage perfectly for this Monty Python-esque re-telling of the classic tale Beowulf, which you may or may not be acquainted with. It doesn’t matter whether you are or not, because as any Python fan will tell you, you’ll get a history lesson as taught by the cool teacher everyone listened to at school; the slightly warped truth in thoroughly silly and watchable format. If they taught history in this way at school as standard there’d be a lot more learned people of my generation out there.

Deep in the forests of Denmark, 500 A.D. Grendel, (a monster who hates parties) is in the habit of invading and decapitating the drunken revellers of nearby Heorot, prompting Princess Freawaru and her trusty scribe Shaper to go in search of a hero who can save their people. Encountering famed imp-slayer Beowulf, it looks as if they’ve found one…or are they about to make a bad situation much, much worse?

I was endeared to Bae Wolf from the start. Fantasy isn’t my genre of choice, in fact I usually give it a big avoid (Game of Thrones excepted). But as a re-telling of a simple tale I felt it could offer up some goodies without being hard work, and so it proved to be; amusing (the dance off between Beowolf and the Queen in particular tickled me for some obscure reason), and well-paced without being overlong. The characters are likeable, and whatever your views on decapitating monsters, I challenge you not to feel empathy for Grendel, particularly towards the end of the film.

My ears were pricked up by the music (courtesy of Gauge Santiago and Matt Akers); subtle but for some reason struck a chord in me I’m still trying to define.

For me Bae Wolf  is an overall winner. Written, directed, shot, edited, mixed and produced by David Axe, and shot in just over 10 days at a cost of $37,000 by a mostly amateur cast and crew, it’s a well-polished gem with deliciously understated but irresistible humour and charm running right through it.

10 out of 10 Barrels of Mead