Unenjoyable, don't waste your time

Rating: 2/10 (20 August 2010)

I've read the poem Beowulf and found it interesting and riveting, but this film adaption does not do it justice. They changed the story ( a lot of it) to make it more 'entertaining', a popcorn film even no doubt but it really didn't need a change as it was a great story to begin with.Amongst many things they changed ,these bits of the story are which i found disappointing. * In the story Beowulf tears Grendels arm off but in the film Grendels arm gets trapped in a door by Beowulf and falls off. * In the story Beowulf kills Grendels mother when she tries to avenge her son but in the film he sleeps with her?! Who knew Beowulf was such a pimp! Seriously what was all that about?! * Grendels mother is supposed to be a disgusting creature (almost troll like) but in the film Grendels mother is Angelina Jolie covered in gold body paint, with a tail (ooh scary!) and strange feet which are high heeled shaped. So much for hideous! * In the story the dragon is guarding cursed treasure but in the film the dragon is Beowulfs son (huh!?) who he had with Grendels mother. * In the story Beowulf dies and his nation mourns for him but in the film we see a 2 minute scene of his funeral and afterwards his friend Wiglaf sees Grendels mother rise from the sea about to seduce him (She should be dead ! ) hinting at a possible sequel.
With that said the score is pretty good and (i saw it in 2d) the visual effects look nice but eventually it seems very similar to a medieval themed video game.
Also (in the UK) the film is rated 12A but i don't think it is suitable for children. It seems like the director was more intent on filming the village women's racks and corsets than any of Beowulfs actions. For example there is one scene when a male warrior is perving at a woman villager who is preparing food ( i cant remember the action really the camera didn't focus much on her actions more like on her chest!) and her corset is nearly bursting and we see them kinda flirting and scenes like this come up in the film quite often. Also the villagers gossip about scandals and similar things which are just useless. These scenes add nothing to the film. Whats the point in them? Why where they even put there?
Another really big problem i found with the film is the casting , well mainly for Beowulf.He looks all noble and strong like a warrior and when he opens his mouth he's cockney! It sounds totally out of place. 'Aww rightt mate i'm ere to slay your dragon son so gis us the tools an i'll be done wit him'. I don't think Ray Winstone should have voiced Beowulf. But it made me laugh. Overall I wouldn't bother watching this film.