'Beowulf' Movie

Watch the Trailer here:  http://movies.aol.com/movie/beowulf/23494/main

Here's the New York Times review:   http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/11/16/movies/16beow.html?ref=movies

After having read the original Early English epic poem and this review, I'm expecting to see less literature and more of a visual extravangza. However the thought of Angelina Jolie as the monster Grendel's mom already gives me the shivers; not because of her frightful role but for what she'll do to the role. She already helped trash another lousy epic, the not so great Alexander the Great where she played the title character's mother. Listening to her weird Eastern European accent as she chewed up the scenery and seeing how she didn't age in her later scenes had me gnashing my teeth when trying not to laugh. That entire movie is a mess but that's another story...

We're back from seeing Beowulf and we enjoyed it. I would basically agree with the Times review  It's probably better the original  Beowulf author is unknown because he would be rolling in his grave if he saw what was done to his epic poem. The movie sorta follows it but with added subplots and distortions of characters.  The visuals have an almost 3-D effect. Some theaters are showing it in 3-D but I think almost two hours of visual bombardment would tire your eyes. I've seen IMAX short films wearing those special electronic glasses and that was plenty. Director Robert Zemeckis used the same video style of The Polar Express but this time it's more refined and detailed. I didn't see 300 because it looked like a video game and it was historically inaccurate; The History Channel's version is the one to watch. Beowulf's visuals were impressive on the big screen although the dragon scene looked a bit cartoonish/video gamelike. Here's an article about how the visuals were created: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/movies/18kehr.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

The acting was generally good and even Angelina was OK  although in the beginning she seemed to be speaking Early English to her son Grendel or was it another of her weird accents. I had to strain my ears to understand what she was uttering. Her character was unlike the one in the poem, including parading around nude for what unknown reason except to bring in the audience. Actually her character lives in water so wearing no clothes seems logical but she sure spent enough time on land flaunting her supple body to lure men to their doom. Overall this movie was a decent action/fantasy epic and should be seen in a theater to appreciate the visuals. If you haven't read the epic poem, try reading a good translation for a comparison. I'm sure my late college professor who lectured us on this work is rolling in HIS grave.