Does anybody read REAL literature anymore?

Rating: 1/10 (25 November 2007)

I was excited that now, with CGI, a great epic tale like Beowulf might be successfully made into a movie. I will keep waiting for a responsible screenwriter and director to try this again. First of all, I thought there would be more live action/acting. Since this had such a lovely cast list, I assumed they would really act. The stilted phrasing and wall to wall sexual innuendos made this one of the worst scripts I have encountered and brought to the screen. Beowulf, the great epic is full of magnificent epic poem, richly enhanced with kennings and alliteration that bring power and dignity to all of the characters. There was no dignity here. Instead, Beowulf was enveloped in shame (and given this script it was, unintentionally, the only thing they got right.) Please people,READ THE BOOK! The only thing this movie had in common with Beowulf were the names of the characters. Say no to bastard children, naked mommies of monsters, and lips that do not match up with the dialog. The only thing I got out of this was true/false test material for my British Literature students who think they can get away with watching the movie instead of reading our text.