As I die-hard fan of Beowulf..I am sad to say this is not the Beowulf film I had hoped it would be.

Rating: 4/10 (23 June 2015)

No..just no. I am a die-hard fan of the epic Beowulf, and this movie could have been amazing - had they named it anything but Beowulf.
The positives:
The voice work is perfect and brings every character to life in such a way that the viewer will feel the emotions the characters feel.
The animation is extremely well done - at points I could not believe I was watching CGI characters..I loved how they shot the action scenes as they had the right degree of grittiness without being excessive.
The musical score is powerful - it accentuates the battles and grandiose character of the film.
Now for why I disliked the film so much:
I was a bit put off by their representation of Hrothgar, as they made him appear to be nothing more than a bumbling drunken oaf who could not keep his paws off of Wealtheow - this is not at all accurate. Further, I was dismayed at the proclamation that Grendel is "Hrothgar's shame" because he could have no children with Wealtheow - again this is not true, he had not one child, but TWO by Wealtheow - Hreðric and Hroðmund. They completely glossed over the important characterization of Hrothgar as a good king, a generous king, and an honorable man; this greatly detracts from his character and the viewer's understanding of WHY his people loved him so much. They did not love him because he was a stereotypical grunting, lecherous, old fat guy, despite what is shown here.
I tolerated their interpretation of how Grendel looked. Though, he's not supposed to be some awkward half-cooked baby creature. He's the malformed seed of Cain. I disagree with the direction they took regarding Grendel's motives for killing the men in Heorot(which I felt could have been far more majestic, like it was in the poem). Grendel is not driven mad by the singing, he is driven mad by the fact that he was an outcast from their society - he had no culture to belong to so he sought to ruin the society and culture of Hrothgar's people. Grendel is a warning to those who are cast out of their hall. Now in the film, Grendel really has no motivation for killing the people in Heorot other than the fact that, "he's a monster who dislikes noise so he kills the noisy people." I further disagree with their portraying Beowulf as, essentially, a borderline liar. He ripped Grendel's arm off with raw power - that's why he's such an astonishing man who's wearing dazzling armor(which is significant because he earned all of that armor through martial prowess). This is why no other man could kill Grendel - no other man possessed the raw physical power of Beowulf. In this film, he ripped it off with a chain tied to a post, then claimed he ripped it off with his bare hands. We have no reason to doubt the narrator of the Beowulf poem, so I do not understand why the writer of the film decided to add this. It's completely unnecessary, and my only conclusion is that the writer must be pandering to some ludicrous modernistic mentality of, "well, something that amazing could not REALLY happen, so he must be embellishing."
The scene with Grendel's mother is offensive to anyone who's a fan of Beowulf. This scene obliterates the entire confrontation and significance behind it. Beowulf is not some lecherous imbecile who falls prey to the wiles of a monster begging him to procreate with her. Grendel's mother is not some sexy succubus who seduces men and kills them. Also, the entire persona of Beowulf is that he's MORE than just a man in every aspect. This scene is beyond ridiculous. It's insulting to the original source material and to anyone who's a fan of said source material. Beowulf then blatantly lies to Hrothgar's face about killing Grendel's mother, thus discrediting his character as being honorable and praiseworthy. Not to mention Wiglaf is killed, Beowulf's beloved companion, by Grendel's mother specifically because he is Beowulf's beloved companion. This does not happen in the movie. Instead, a bunch of nameless characters are slaughtered while Beowulf sleeps and then Beowulf decides to kill Grendel's mother because, well, she is Grendel's mother and still plaguing Heorot.
Then, just to punch everyone who loves Beowulf right between the eyes, the writer creates a scenario in which the dragon Beowulf faces at the end of the tale...is...the..spawn of..Grendel's mother. Why? I cannot fathom WHY the writer believed this was a good idea. The reason Beowulf goes to fight the dragon is not because he's trying to right some wrong he committed (because men are just lecherous individuals unable to control themselves from sexing a demon), it's because he cannot give up his desire for glory. It is a cycle that will end up leaving his people without a ruler just when they need a ruler most. It is a message against seeking personal glory at the expense of your people.
I am greatly disappointed in one of my favorite authors - Neil Gaiman, for perverting Beowulf. I cannot, and will not, recommend this film to anyone who has read and enjoyed Beowulf. That being said, I would recommend to someone who has never come in to contact with the source material, and does not mind watching a retelling of the tale(with the precaution that it is not really an accurate retelling).