Movie Review: Beowulf (3D)

The warrior Beowulf must fight and defeat the monster Grendel who is terrorizing towns, and later, Grendel's mother, who begins killing out of revenge.

First off, the 3D effects are excellent, so find it in 3D if you're going to the theater. Director Robert Zemeckis uses it often to it's fullest with camera angles and some sequences like Beowulf being dragged through the tops of trees while hanging from a rope attached to a dragon that will have you dodging branches. Other times he just pans out through forests or sends arrows flying right at your seat but it's a really cool effect instead of just using the 3D as a novelty on occasion.

The movie itself tells a pretty good story of morals with a tale that's been told through the ages with all religions as the monster Grendel comes to the the village to destroy men when they have big, loud, lustful parties. It might as well have been Sodom. The main theme of the movie is really man's uncontrollable lust though.

Grendel and his mother both look awesome, easily the coolest characters in the movie along with the dragon. Grendel is just big-time nasty and scary. Beowulf looks great as well, but his facial expression don't really convey the same humanism as I think was needed. All the characters seem to have "soulless eyes". I had the same problem with the animation in The Polar Express, but it doesn't really detract from the film, just an observation.

All-in-all a very entertaining movie with a lot of action and fantastic animation. For fans of films like 300 and Lord of the Rings or just good ole Dungeons and Dragons (does that show my age?), it doesn't disappoint.

8/10