Missed chance, this is not the poem.

Rating: 1/10 (23 November 2007)

This film has impressive special effects and would be okay as an adventure fantasy but it should not be marketed as the epic poem.Also it has been given the wrong rating and should be an R. Why all the changes? Grendel's mother was not a gold painted,nude,Barbie doll in stiletto heels.Grendel was not Hrothgar's son. Beowulf killed the witch he did not have sex with her.The dragon was not Beowulf's son and had no connection with the witch.Beowulf was not made Hrothgar's heir,nor did he marry his widow and become king of the Danes.In the poem Beowulf returned to Geatland after slaying Grendel. He remained the Geat king's best warrior,supporting him and the son who succeeded him. Only after the new king died did Beowulf become king of the Geats until his own death in later years.Also, why all the nudity in this film? This was Scandinavian northern Europe in the Dark Ages - folk would have Bean in furs and heavy woollens most of the time.The cartoon-like actors didn't help either with bland faces and expressionless eyes.
A far better movie 'Beowulf and Grendel' was made in 2004,filmed on location in Iceland,with an excellent cast of real actors and no CGI. The Iceland born Canadian director,Sturla Gunnarson,tried to get back to what could have been the original story that evolved over the centuries into the legend.It was gritty,made on a shoestring and had only limited cinema release,but thankfully it is available on DVD and is well worth a look.There is also an excellent companion DVD documentary called 'Wrath of Gods'which tells the incredible story of the filming of the movie, and the struggle to complete it with financial problems and the absolute hell of shooting it at the start of the Icelandic winter.
The new 'Beowulf' has also tried to ride on the coattails of '300', but again it suffers by not having real actors showing their courage and emotions.'300' scenes were like paintings come to life and the Spartans' impressive physiques and fighting skills were real,after hard training,with no computer enhancement.
An interesting point is the actor who links these three films - charismatic Gerard Butler.He was fiery yet also sensitive as King Leonidas and the earlier Beowulf and made the roles his own.
This 2007 film is a missed opportunity to bring the epic poem to life.