I am Beowulf.

Rating: 9/10 (16 November 2007)

If you've taken the 11th year of high school, you should know the epic poem of Beowulf. The poem is beautifully, but sometimes comically (in a bad way) brought to the screen by newly 3D whiz Robert Zemeckis and an all star cast, an two very hard working writers.
The film and the poem are very similar while at the same time being very different. The plot lines are identical and some of the phrases are recognized in the character's dialogue. However, the film is missing the back story of Hrothgar. The audience is unsure of why Grendel is attacking the kingdom except for the mention that the lands are cursed. There is no mention that the curse is on Hrothgar himself for a past sin he committed against his brother. Speaking of Grendel, the portrayal of his appearance was surprising. Instead of what the general reader may picture- a gigantic, hairy beast- Grendel is nothing of the sort. Instead, he is an extremely ugly over-sized skinny human that looked like the skin was peeled off of his body and was burned in some places. He jaw is crooked forcing his words to come out slurred and inaudible. Words? That's right, Grendel speaks. Only to his mother of course, but the fact that he speaks is thought provoking because a reader may wonder back to try and recall any time in the poem that specifies he can actually talk. Grendel also has a personality in a way. The viewer almost pities him- feels bad for him because of the horrible whining he makes when things get too loud. Contrary to the image from the novel which had Grendel bumbling around destroying whatever he saw just because he was a monster. One difference that was a bit disappointing was the killing of Grendel. An iconic image in the reader's mind is Beowulf holding the arm of the monster high into the air. But instead, Beowulf's right hand man, Wiglaf, is the one who raises it into the sky for all to gaze upon. Now, personally, as a reader who only read to the aforementioned scene in the poem, the rest of the movie was a brand new story to me. Thus, I can not talk too strongly about differences and similarities now, but one thing that intrigued me was something I thought too big of a plot hole to not be in the poem was the insinuation and later proved fact that Hrothgar slept with Grendel's mother, which in turn produced Grendel himself. I found that shocking and exciting at the same time. Even more exciting to watch Beowulf make the same mistake Hrothgar made by giving in to temptation rather than standing for what he believes in- fighting for honor- and becoming victim to Grendel's mother's seduction. The themes of the film seem to include the power and vulnerability of temptation along with Old English literature themes.
Overall, the film was very entertaining and fun to watch. I would definitely recommend to the fantasy/adventure/action fan, the readers of the poem, and almost anyone other than young children and the squeamish. The technology of the movie was breathtaking and sometimes hard to believe it was animated. Although, it made me wonder- would it have less of a comical feel is it was shot live-action rather that computer animated? Nevertheless, the style works for the epic/fantasy feel of the film and I definitely will be sure to see it again.