I bought the latest Beowulf DVD because I love the epic poem. Criminy, I use imagery from medieval times in my own work; I should devour this thing, right? Not so much. Although the story Mr. Zemeckis directed included the famous Grendel scenes, it extended to include the rest of Beowulf's life...but not in a way that I felt was very faithful to the tone of the original poem.



Disappointing computer movements aside (I just couldn't get past a cartoon wench washing a mead hall table in what was supposed to be a seductive manner - and one had to assume she was supposed to be seductive because of the gasping noises she was making as she "jostled" her bosom around), this movie version of Beowulf's life introduced elements that made me go "hmm..." As someone who has read the Cotton Vitellius manuscript in both Old English and current, I don't think I would have missed some of the things that got thrown in there for modern-day effect.



Did Mr. Zemeckis think the overall audience so brain-dead that we needed the extra features to modernize the story for us? Beowulf is the original monster story. It's the original hero story. It's the original good-versus-evil thriller. There's enough treachery, rescue, blood-and-gore, and evil beasties to appease even today's violent society. If you aren't already familiar with the poem, and if you can look past the CGI, you're going to love this tale! (To be truthful, the CGI was very well done - albeit a bit "jerky" for me at times.) But I can't get past the fact that, for me, the extra bits detracted from the story. They took me further out of the movie than the computerized characters.



If you want a good blood-fest with naked cartoon characters and a simpering villain that you can see Tolkien's Gollum in, then this is your movie. If you want something true to the epic poem that will help you write an A+ paper in your English Lit class...well...you might look elsewhere. Or at least be careful how much to take away from this gem. Your teacher might figure out you didn't read the book, if you catch my drift.



From Sandy Lender, "Some days, I just want the dragon to win."