Beowulf the film, not the poem

Rating: 7/10 (1 March 2008)

Beowulf is not the old school poem. It's a story retold like mythical tales that have different revisions. A wolf becomes a bear, a bear becomes a troll, a troll becomes a dragon, etc. It's like another take on an old story, and told from the lips of a different story teller; this is all completely fine. The story is about Beowulf's quest to kill the creature Grendel and his story after that event.
It doesn't sound particularly interesting but when you add in the fact that Beowulf can kill monsters with nothing but his pinky and thumb it starts sounding a lot better. If you are a big fan of medieval swords and shields tales you're going to love Beowulf. If you are big fan of blood, violence, and sexual themes, you're going to love Beowulf. The special effects and sound of Beowulf are top notch and the best technology has to offer these days.
Every breaking bone, every ripple in every face, and every flexing muscle look as good as CGI probably ever will at this time. Sound effects, from the clang of swords, arrows firing, water, wind, the ocean, every thing sounds great and is a treat to hear. I saw the Unrated version so I can't speak for the PG-13 one but Beowulf is a very sexually charged movie, I will tell you that. It is not for children and when I say children I mean any one under 16 years of age.
This movie should have been R rated from what I've seen. I can't imagine they took much out of the movie because the director's cut is only a fraction longer than the theatrical version. Now with the negative parts of this movie. The movie can be very paced to the point of silence. Some parts feel long and drawn out, I never got this feeling but I can see how some may not like this. I myself was too focused on soaking up all the lovely high-techery CGI.
The point is don't go into this movie expecting THE Beowulf and you'll be all right. If you think that the retelling of a story should be 100% accurate with the poem it's based on, don't even rent this. You will not be happy. If you are looking for a great epic, and an all around entertaining film, watch this. It suffers from crappy ending syndrome but is well worth the price of admission, that is if you watch it for what it is; Beowulf the film, not the poem.