I don't know what to say about this one really...maybe it was all the caffeine I'd had...or I was having a retarded moment but I could not follow the plot. It was like child with ADHD and can't sit still.

One moment it's showing the king and his court boozing it up while the Grendel is being pissy about their loud raucous. (Can't blame him really...if my neighbors were that loud I think I'd have issues too.)

Jumping to Beowulf swimming through the ocean almost becoming a fast food dinner for sea serpents, then fighting Grendel in the nude. (Which is probably why he won...the monster was probably blinded by the sight pollution giving the "hero" an advantage.)

To a shot of him confronting the monster demon thing which he then... *insert bedroom type scene here*
The next moment he is an old fart king that has to battle a dragon.

It was really just a blur of bloody animation, very nicely done bloody animation mind you, but that's all this movie was...

Now maybe I just can't appreciate the story cause I never read the work it was based off and I don't know how it was paced but this movie just...jumped around so much I got lost.

I can't say this movie is really worth watching...maybe if you're really really bored or just want to see some really good bloody animation. XD

This is a definite leap upwards in motion capture technology. At the very least it's certainly prettier than Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within(may that dreck forever rest in animation limbo). When I first saw the trailers, I actually didn't realize that it was all computer generated. They've must shown the good bits. While many parts certainly look like they were acted by(somewhat shiny) humans, others look like what you'd find out of a video game. Darn those poor horses. However, what ultimately turned me off about this movie was its blatant glorification of hedonism and "nudge nudge" fan service. Neither expecting an accurate portrayal of the Dark Ages nor a romantic vision, I was still shocked by the lack of class shown by the characters and the swaggering bravado. I know things were bleak for the average warrior back then and even more so for the females, but the rather boring and stilted, and might I add unintentionally humorous, opening had me wondering "they couldn't have been ALL like that back then, could they?"

From the makers of The Polar Express... comes the bloodiest movie I have ever seen. Too bad Tom Hanks wasnt around to feed the demon. I was blown away by this movie. The cinematography and action were amazing, and at several points, my jaw dropped in amazement at what I was seeing. Some people agreed with me, as this film made $82 million in 2007, which is quite impressive for an animated adult fantasy (see Fire & Ice or Lord of the Rings or Strings or countless others), in spite of its $150 million budget.

Beowulf tells the tale of the hero, Beowulf, who defeats a demon Grendel, becomes king and then must face a dragon born of his own tragic making. Grendel attacks twice, tearing people in half, eating guts, and just being a real SOB. Beowulf takes him down, then goes for his witch mama, but makes a deal instead. Oh, our poor flawed hero. But lucky us, this results in probably the best dragon action sequence I have ever seen, and the way this dragon is defeated must be seen to be believed!

I can see how the motion capture effect could be off putting to some, but frankly I loved it. It looked very realistic, but with a subtle otherworldliness that enhanced the movie's feel. Video game cut scenes, these were not. And the performances seemed genuine. I wouldn't want every movie to use this technique, but her, it worked. I cannot say enough good things about this movie. Maybe its a guilty pleasure, but it sure entertained, and the story was surprisingly well developed (go Gaiman!). Not sure if it would hold up to repeat viewings after the shock values subsided, but for now, I bow to Beo and give him an A.

I went into this movie with low expectations. The trailers did not look promising and I have a burning hatred of this so called "performance" capture technique. The characters looked like something in a high end video game cinematic.

Unfortunately, all my low expectations were met not only for the "animation" (I don't consider motion-- excuse me-- "Performace" capture to be animation) but for the storytelling as well.

Lets start out with the "animation"... it's hit and miss really. Sometimes the human characters look okay and it makes me forget I'm watching an "animated" film but other times they look just strange and it's distracting. Not as horribly zombie like as the humans in Polar Express but still... something isn't quite right with the eyes. And the movements are definitely a step up from Monster House (which is a better film then Beowulf in many ways).

Generally, the main characters were the best looking. The background characters a lot of the time looked like like the rubbery humans seen in the first Shrek movie.
The dragon was the best looking character in the whole movie. He, as far as I know, was not mo-capped . I guess the mocap crew decided that he was impossible to do with the motion capture process so they were forced to let some of the 50 or so animators actually ANIMATE and not just spend hours cleaning up the mocap footage.

Dysfunctional technology aside, the story itself was radically changed from the original. Beowulf is supposed to kill Grendel, kill his mother, and kill the dragon... let's just say that it doesn't exactly happen that way. There's kind of a strange plot twist thing going on.

Grendel himself was sissified into a thing to be pitied rather then the powerful demon straight from the depths of hell we see in the original story. And his mother was even worse... Angelina Jolie nude with an accent.

That's just a sample of how the story was butchered.

It's not ALL bad though, the cast is good and the acting is solid. It's just not a great movie. Too bad they had such great talent go to waste.

I say wait for the DVD or just skip it, your not missing much and it's not worth paying $8.00 to see in a theater.

5 out of 10.

The epic of Beowulf is one of the oldest epics in English Literature,and now only two films adapted the adventure "Beowulf and Grendel" and now this awesome CGI animated film; to choose which is the best Beowulf film, I think I choose this one.

This film is truly an adrenaline-rusher, with great casting and visual effects; you know the CGI looked almost like live action, but I know it's CGI (it's in the hair). I love it when Beowulf (Ray Winstone) was enchanted the strikingly beautiful Queen Weathlow (Robin Wright Penn); as I watched the film, they know really do make a charming couple, and I love it when she sings too.

I dont know what was right with this movie.

The animation was realistic but there was some parts that seemed a bit Harryhausenish especially Beowulfs fight with Grendel.

The script was dull and unexciting as was the terrible voice acting I thought I was listening to a talking tape as they made it obvious they were reading lines.

The music though good was dull as dishwater.

All in all I dont recommend this movie go watch some paint drying its far more interesting.

I remember reading Beowulf in my English class way back in the days of my high school years. I'm a huge fan of high fantasy adventures and anything to do with Norse or Old English mythology, Beowulf was right up my alley. As soon as I found out that it was going to made into a movie, I thought to myself, "Man, that's gonna be awesome!" And you want to know something? Right into my collge years, even as a CGI movie, this epic story still blew my mind.

If you're a fan of the old poem, a live action role player (LARP-er), or a die-hard Tolkien/D&D fan, you'll love this movie. Director Robert Zemeckis has really outdone himself this time. If you've seen The Polar Express, don't worry- the animation technique the filmmakers used in that movie has really improved. When I first saw the characters, I thought they were using the actual actors/actresses.

I won't give out any spoilers, but prepare to witness a whole new take on the ancient story. In a nutshell, it ain't your grandad's Beowulf. There's plenty of action and gore to convey how it would have looked back in the days of yore. Zemeckis and his team have really stressed for detail in this film. You can see the number of rings in Beowulf's (Ray Winstone) chainmail and the strikingly beautiful features of Queen Weathlow (Robin Wright Penn). The troll Grendel is sure to make anyone jump out their seats and feel his pain as he attacks the hall of Herot, and when you see Angelina Jolie as Grendel's Mother in her naked human-form, you could swear that it's really her in the flesh.

The casting was really top-notch. Ray Winstone really gives an Oscar-worthy performance as a hero with nobility, but with weaknesses just like everyone else. Fans of The Princess Bride will enjoy seeing Robin Wright Penn (Princess Buttercup) in a medieval adventure again. Hrothgar, played by Sir Anthony Hopkins, moves you to believe that he's an old king with great flaws. One actor that I also thought was great was Brendan Gleeson as Wiglaf, Beowulf closest friend; I like how he acted as this loyal sidekick who looked out for his friend, and expected nothing in return.

In conclusion, this movie has everything: a history chock full of Norse mythology, daring fights, a tale of glory and tragedy, a naked Angelina Jolie, great characters, and a ginormous battle with a ferocious dragon. Your English teacher may love or hate it, but proud nerds are sure to sing of the tale of Robert Zemeckis' Beowulf throughout the ages. Hail, Beowulf!

The film was overall; incredible! The story was amazing, beautiful, and tragic. The action was great and bloody, as any film set in this period should be. The animation was so good, there were parts I couldv'e sworn they replaced the cgi with the real actors. Highly reccomended.