Beowulf Is Exciting and Thought Provoking

Rating: 8/10 (15 November 2007)

I don't really know what to say about this movie right now. The 3D visuals are amazing. There were countless times when I held on for my life to my seat. I jumped several times also.
The film starts off with a joyous feast at the dining hall. The drunk king Hrothgar names it Mead Hall after the drink. Singing and dancing ensues to commemorate this seemingly reckless kings greatness. We soon find that Grendel (the most hideous and disturbing creature I have ever seen) hates loud noises, especially singing. He lays waste to a bunch of people in Mead hall to rid his fury. Soon the king (played by Hopkins) offers half of the kingdoms gold to whoever rids him of this monster. Key in Beowulf: After slaying Grendel (nekkid and nimbly) he goes forth after his mother. He makes a deal with the temptress and goes back to seek glory and fame for the kill.
After time, we see Beowulf, now a king who is regretful and full of sorrow. His deal comes back to haunt him and his kingdom. What follows is the most incredible and eye popping action sequences I have ever seen (especially in 3D). The dragon is truly terrifying, not as kind looking as the nazgul in LOTR. Beowulf finally rids himself of his curse..But will the new king succumb under the same temptations??? We see how our decisions can sometime affect others with horrible consequences. Things that look good do not always fulfill us, they destroy us.
I somewhat enjoyed the movie until I saw the last 20 minutes or so. That last section of the movie won me over.
The pace isn't necessarily relentless, but the time flies by. I couldn't believe that the two hours went like they did. Zemeckis does a great job building some tension in the scenes with Grendel and his mother.
How this film got a PG-13 rating is surprising. If I had young kids I definitely wouldn't let them see it. The scenes with Angelina leave nothing to the mind. WOW.... We also see some naked and nekkid men running around. Mostly Beowulf going after Grendel. The violence wasn't terrible, but worse than any other PG-13 I've seen. It should have been rated R. They manipulated the MPAA probably by making the film animated. Either way I liked it.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie and the story. I would have to give the film an 8 out of 10 at this point. I am going to see it again it IMAX next week. This will probably be a film that gets better with repeat viewings.
I had no idea what to expect when I went into the film but I did have high expectations. I was not disappointed, but I was dumbfounded. I am anxious to see this film again with an open mind to see my reactions to it.