Bring back real actors

Rating: 6/10 (19 November 2007)

I won't go into 3D or story since most have covered it. Yep, gory-bloody and I would not take an under-12 to it. Loved the scenery, loved the dragon, as someone who loves Old English it was a delight to actually hear it in the movie - but, man, I just could not get into these plastic-looking, c-animated ''actors''. Just utterly, utterly unconvincing and I'm pretty good at suspending my disbelief. The vacant eyes; inaccurate mouth movements, limited facial expression, the clumsy graceless galloping of the horses. I've seen hand puppets with more emotion. As to the actors behind the faces - OK - but personally, I thought Beowulf looked more like Sean Bean. Again, visually, parts of it are a treat - but please combine real actors again with superb c-animation, like LOTR - which ticked all my boxes (although I'm still ticked off they left out Tom Bombadil and Goldberry, etc). I can't yet buy into the idea that films like this Beowulf are going to be the future. There's a place for them of course, but I prefer relating to real live actors. I'm not ready to sigh over plastic warriors. I also saw the last version of Beowulf and Grendel with - omigosh - real actors and preferred that over this. To each his own, I guess.