Advantages: Brilliant CGI effects
Disadvantages: Just very flat, and not enthralling at all

...This film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and was released last November. It is a based upon the Old English folk tale with the same name. Situated in Denmark, King Hrothgar, voiced by Anthony Hopkins, has a new celebration hall built for his people. This is when we first meet Grendel, a deformed screaming monster, who attacks the hall and its civilians. Full of anger, the King puts out a reward for the man who can defeat the monster. Along comes Beowulf, a sailor, who arrives with his men in the village. He offers to slay Grendel, but his credibility is questioned by the King's advisor. However, Grendel arrives at the village again to re-attack it, and is confronted by Beowulf. They each fight unarmoured and Beowulf is proved victorious as Grendel flees and dies in his mother's arms back at their lair whilst revealing the name... Read review

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Advantages: Brings an ancient masterpiece alive
Disadvantages: Can be hard going

...Beowulf was one of the first poems ever to be written down in a language that was recognisably English. In the original it is virtually incomprehensible to all but scholars and although translations have been available for many years it is this version by the award winning poet Seamus Heaney that has catapulted it back into the mainstream. Beowulf is a classic Nordic Saga, which tells the tale of the heroic Beowulf who tackles three great monsters. He secures an alliance with a neighbouring tribe and eventually becomes ruler of his own people. This poem has neither the depth, nor the sophistication of the Greek epics of Homer or Hesiod. It is beautifully simple, making full use of the so called, “Anglo-Saxon laconic”, short pithy sentences that say a lot but leave much unsaid. Heaney manages to pull off the considerable... Read review

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Advantages: Authentic scenery and costumes - entertaining
Disadvantages: None

...Directed by: Sturla Gunnarsson Written by: Andrew Rai Berzins (based on the epic poem Beowulf - anonymous) Genre: Action - Drama - Adventure - Fantasy Country: Canada/Uk/Iceland Certification: 15+ Language: English/Latin/Icelandic Released: 8th October, 2007 (DVD) MAIN CAST: Gerard Butler (Beowulf) Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson (Grendel) Stellan Skarsgård (Hrothgar) Sarah Polley (Selma) Gunnar Eyjólfsson (Aeschere) Elva Ósk Ólafsdóttir (Sea Hag) Based on the epic Norse poem 'Beowulf', the story begins with King Hrothgar and his warriors hunting down a troll (Grendel's father) and its offspring (Grendel) for no apparent reason other than they are trolls. Grendel's father is murdered, and Grendel, who is hiding on the ledge of a cliff, is spotted by the king but spared. Waiting until the warriors have left, Grendel, who is just... Read review

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Advantages: Fantastic graphics, story and casting!
Disadvantages: Want to watch it again and again!

...I do have to confess that originally I was taken to see this film under duress! My fiance is a sci-fi and animation fan -so after a tolerable amount of begging I was pesuaded to join him to watch Beowulf at the cinema. I was expecting craptacular, not spectacular. Beowulf The film was released in 2007 and is directed by Robert Zemeckis, who also directed the Polar Express. It is a time of legends, heroes and monsters - a conquering succession of valiant, brave men with a sword in their hand and a beer in their guts! Set in the 8th Century, Beowulf tells the story of the mightiest of all warriors, Beowulf! he is the hero of the Geats and he arrives at a village besieged by the terrifying Grendel. the monster Grendel keeps attacking the danish mead hall. The village has resorted to locking it up and forbidding any celebrations which... Read review

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Advantages: Great adaptation of the ancient anglo poem that it is based upon
Disadvantages: A little slow in places and could have been shorter

...Beowulf 2007 Directed by Robert Zemeckis Animation by Stephen Enticott Running Time: 1 hr. 53 min Distributor: Warner Bros Distributors Ltd Certificate: 12A Release date: 16/11/2007 Cast: Brendan Gleeson - Wiglaf Anthony Hopkins - King Hrothgar Ray Winstone - Beowulf Robin Wright Penn - Queen Wealthow John Malkovich - Unferth Crispin Glover - Grendel Angelina Jolie - Grendel's Mother Alison Lohman - Ursula Charlotte Salt - Estrith Rik Young - Eofor Dominic Keating - Old Cain Chris Coppola - Olaf Greg Ellis - Garmund Leslie Zemeckis - Yrsa Story: The Film Starts in a medieval danish castle where the focus is on a huge celebration in the newly constructed mead hall being hosted by king Hrothgar but as the festivites go on Grendel is awakened and attacks all in the hall. This forces the king to close... Read review

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Advantages: Easy access to Britain's earliest 'Classic'
Disadvantages: Encouraging people to read it in the first place!

...The Seamus Heaney translation has been a God-send to me.I study Anglo-Saxon and as a result have a very limited selection of people that i can usually study my texts with.Which was a pain!...Until i persuaded my Dad, boyfriend and various random members of my family to read this Beowulf translation. The plot of the tale is easy to follow yet gripping as the reader's empathy with Beowulf is deep.JRR Tolkein was a Anglo-Saxon expert and so any lover of Lord of the Rings will love to discover some of his influences (for example Beowulf is the 'ring bearer' of the Geats). It is easy to read but never in a patronising way.It just manages to epitomise the simplicity of the vocabulary used yet keeps the depth of description for the origial by using the compound words typical of ASax.Heaney's use of the alliterative style keeps true... Read review

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Advantages: Great story, very well made, absorbing plot.
Disadvantages: A couple of places where pace of movie slows a little.

...BEOWULF & GRENDEL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "SPLENDIDLY ENTERTAINING" Mark Harris - straight.com Beowulf and Grendel is easily on par with films such as Kingdom of Heaven starring Orlando Bloom. This feature is based on one of the old Viking Sagas and stars Gerard Butler playing Beowulf. There is some decent action, but more importantly the plot is an interesting one. The film tells a story of a viking chieftain in Iceland who's village is terrorised by what they refer to as a Troll. It is not a Troll but a human that is born with defects and being the superstitious bunch they are, outcast the person and call him a Troll, {nice people hey} The name of this attacker of the village is Grendel. Grendel through his ailments and deformity is very strong and quite big so as a result can kick some ass. So the chiefs viking warriors are being... Read review

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Advantages: Good attempt at 3D CGI
Disadvantages: Bland

...Director: Robert Zemeckis Screenplay: Neil Gaiman & Roger Avary Genre: Action - Adventure - Drama - Fantasy Country: USA Certification: 12+ Language: English Released: 17th March, 2008 (DVD) MAIN CAST: Ray Winstone (Voice of Beowulf) Crispin Glover (Voice of Grendel) Angelina Jolie (Voice of Grendel's mother) Anthony Hopkins (Voice of Hrothgar) Hearing of a monster/troll terrorising the kingdom ruled by Hrothgar, Beowulf makes his way there in order to defeat the creature. What Beowulf doesn't know is that the creature (Grendel) is Hrothgar's son conceived by a 'sea witch' (for lack of a better word). When Beowulf finally kills Grendel, the kingdom is besieged by Grendel's mother, who is intent on revenge.... until she meets Beowulf 'in-the-flesh', and decides that she wants him to give her another son for the one he... Read review

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Advantages: A great little mythicle tale
Disadvantages: None cos i wrote it

...Dragon destroys Beowulf's Town Reporter1: last night an escaped slave on the run took refuge in a cave in Beowulf's town. Beowulf's town is usually quite quiet and nothing exciting happens, at dawn the slave awoke and what he saw stood out in amazement. A long creepy green serpent lay in all wonders of all treasures. Reporter2: The beast's eyes looked deadly amongst all evilness filled with blood. What he lay in was spectacular red rubies, crystals, diamonds golden plates and rings and a huge goblet covered in shiny jewels and glittery diamonds. Reporter3: The slave was petrified and reached out for the golden goblet, making sure the beast didn't awake, the slave noticed the floor and walls were like a dry scab, this is evidence something or someone had had spilt blood in that cave... Read review

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Advantages: challenging, vivid, intense.
Disadvantages: Hard reading.

...Beowulf was a hero amongst his people, a mighty warrior and a champion. he set off to rid a land of a terrible monster plauging its noble house and devouring human beings.... thus begins the tale. I do not know how anyone could dismiss this work as irrelevant or pointless - but many do. It is hard to read and takes a lot of time and effort - not everyone can give that. Not all fiction should be easy and consumable without effort. This text is a challenge to erad, but there is so much to be gained from it, and the feeling of satisfaction that can be achieved by working through such literaure is enormous. I am a big fan of Seamus Heany, and I think that in his translation of beowulf he has managed a wonderful juggling act, offering a narratorial voice that is accesible, keeping many of the traditional rhyming styles used by the original... Read review

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