Not fantastic but enjoyable

Rating: 8/10 (20 July 2008)

This is by no means a classic, but it was a very entertaining piece of cinema. About 4 years ago I was given a copy of the poem, I'm not big on books but I did find it more interesting than doing nothing in my cheap motel room. Last year I saw Beowulf and Grendel (2005) and was not disappointed but slightly annoyed at how it didn't feel like the people were Vikings. With that said Stellan Skarsgard was brilliant in it.
This movie I enjoyed more. The characters seemed more like I had imagined when I read the book even though the story was different. I can break it down into 3 reasons why I liked this film.
1. Ray Winstone is one of my favourite actors and he gave Beowulf's voice real power. By that I mean Beowulf sounded tough.
2. The characters were slightly more like Vikings, everyone wanted to be a hero, lots of boasting and the lust of women was there.
3. The story is epic and compared to Beowulf and Grendel this is a real epic.
In the end I would only buy this film when it was on special, but if you like historical action films, know the story or are interested in getting to know the story then you should rent it.