Great attempt to eliminate boundary between animation and real-person movie, although didn't surpass God of War.

Rating: 8/10 (16 November 2007)

This is a great attempt to eliminate boundary between animation and real-person movie. Note that the movie's budget is 70,000,000 dollars which is way lower compared to early movies like "Final Fantasy"(2001). However, "Final Fantasy"(2001) is a failure for a movie, especially one everyone was expecting to deliver some real material. Beowulf is highlighted as it's violent and gory, as alluring as the beauties animated.
Earlierly, the definition of 3D cartoon movies was almost a copyright of Disney(Pixar). The characters are all comically simple, and their movements are all cartooned jerks convincing in the imagined world of the makers(remember the movements of humans in Incredibles and Rattatoulie). All the others withing this genre also avoid to be realistic. Instead, the emphasis would be jokes which is predominantly a theme for American-style CGI cartoons. Now in Beowulf, all the humans are in normal size and figures, winding the swords and axes humanly instead of comically. To realize the natural interactions of hundreds of different roles isn't a piece of cake for any studio, not even anyone in Pixar. And, don't you think it's a great idea to make something for grown-ups only to change the concept of 3D cartoon? Feel the lights and shadows on Beowulf and Angelina Jolie's skins.
Plus, Beowulf is not simply some video-game alike slaughtering fast-food movie, although a lot of people expected it to be(I was one of them). Note that more than half of the movie was about the dramatical main role Beowulf's conversation with other people(or demons), therefore the hardship to overcome in making could be the detailed, sometimes implied expressions and feelings of the characters. Every movement of faces can be considered as a single piece of art, not to mention the tragic fates combined with North Europe's severe climate. If you concentrate on humanity drama of Beowulf, you won't be disappointed for sure.
But, Beowulf is not perfect. although I sincerely appreciate the effort Robert Zemeckis took to make this superb reality-approximating animation, I have to point out the weakness lies within the PACE. If you've ever played the PS2 game "God of War", you would surely be expecting Beowulf for some non-stop fighting sequences shot in the harsh, bloody myth style seasoned with cool lines. Don't worry the movie surely contains all these elements, but they fell apart. All these elements are not combined efficiently enough to make your blood boil. Every time, the battle finished too fast after our hero enters his full-loaded fighting status. If the director could put all 3 sequences of fighting together and edit them to be like in "God of War", we will surely be awed by it. Stated in general, Beowulf is not equipped with enough exciting moments.
Simply there are no twists in the movie, the theme is simple and 90% of the story can be predicted. But if you are interested in seeing the best real-human-size animated drama so far, you should go to cinema now.