Beowulf (with a couple of twists)

Rating: 9/10 (9 April 2006)

This was a very, VERY good movie. While the issues with Norse cultures actually having a written language is valid, the fact that most Scandinavian runic writing could NOT be understood anywhere else on Earth is undeniable. Michael Crichton's 1976 novel, Eaters of the Dead, is next on my reading list. And I'm sure he addresses this in the book.
That said, whatever problems there are with the minutiae of the script, they are more than made up for by strong acting by Banderas and Czech actor Vladimir Kulich, good directing by John McTiernan of "Die Hard" and "The Hunt for Red October" fame and stunning visuals. The fact that this movie did poorly among movie critics simply adds to the list of reasons not to trust movie critics.
The trivia note is ridiculous. If Omar Sharif was disappointed enough in this movie to take "a temporary retirement from acting", then he should have killed himself after "Hidalgo". One must suspect such folly is motivated more by his minimal screen time in the film rather than on the quality of the finished product.