Must see! IMAX 3D best or DLP 3D

Rating: 9/10 (16 November 2007)

8.5-9 out of 10. According to Reelz Dailies: Phenomenal. Rotten Tomatoes: 72%. I often see a movie twice - once for first impressions, again for what I might have missed the first time. I liked it even more the 2nd time. When I got out of 11am show, people were already in line for 1:45pm show. It was all I could do to keep myself from buying another ticket.
OH YEAH, definitely worth seeing in 3D, and the IMAX 3D is superlative. Does the movie/story work? A resounding yes. You don't have to know the classic story, and if you do know it  it's interesting to see the changes the scriptwriters made. The first half is a little slow because it's setting up the last half  which is a more than satisfying payoff. The movie asks: what is a hero?, what is a monster?, what is human? It's very moving, and I had a few teary moments.
My highlights: starting with the IMAX 10-second countdown, sheet of water in the opening credits, the running joke early on, Grendel vs. Beowulf fight, Grendel's mom, the DRAGON  best I've ever seen. The final action sequence must be seen to be believed. I did get the epic, heroic, bigger than life feeling. I felt the same feelings like when (dating myself) I watched Steve Reeves' Hercules movies, Jason & the Argonauts, etc.
Angelina has limited visual screen time, a little less than John Malkovich, but she is present throughout the movie either with her voice or characters talking about her. And her character is as key to the story as Beowulf. At the first sight of Angelina emerging from the pool (a la Marlon Brando in Apocalypse now and many movies since), the 75% male audience were moaning and cheering. It was really quite funny. With every reveal from her face to her breasts to her torso to her pelvic area to her heels and finally to the whole digital Angelina, dripping in chocolate gold, the fanboys reacted. Her face is Shiseido-ad perfection. Angelina's performance was spot on, literally pitch perfect. Totally seductive, not evil, it's her words as much as her appearance that mortal men find impossible to ignore. It's their souls they willingly hand over as she exploits their weaknesses and becomes the agent of their downfall. (I thought that this must be what anti-Angelina haters believe Angelina the person to be.)
Sir Anthony is magnificent as always, Ray Winstone heroic, and Crispin Glover as Grendel is as pitiful as he is monstrous. Brendan Gleeson, Beowulf's second in command, gives a wonderful performance. Beowulf looks nothing like Ray Winstone, Grendel's mom looks totally like Angelina, and we recognize Sir Anthony's & Malkovich's faces & voices but they have different bodies from their own, Robin Wright Penn & Alison Lohman look nothing like themselves.
It was like looking through those toy stereoscopes (can't remember their names  senior moment). Then it became naturally 3D like our real world. The switch from 2D to 3D is going to be like the change from silent movies to talkies. The motion capture is about 80-90% there. Some of the characters are a little stiff and not realistic, others Like Angelina we could swear was real not digital, galloping horses need improvement.
I think these are awards worthy: animation, stirring musical score, sound, production & costume design.