http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/11/17/BEOWULF-Breathes-New-Life-Into-Old-Art.aspx If you&rsquo;ve ever been in a high school English class, chances are you&rsquo;ve read the English epic poem &ldquo;Beowulf&rdquo; before. However, that sprawling text with the funny words in it probably failed to give you the jolt you get from watching BEOWULF, the CGI animated, 3-D epic from director Robert Zemmicks. For those who never made it to high school English class, &ldquo;Beowulf&rdquo; the poem described the heroic exploits of Geat warrior Beowulf, who answered Danish king Hr&eth;gar&rsquo;s call for a hero to rid his great mead (beer) hall Heorot of the monster, Grendel. In the poem Beowulf won three battles: first against Grendel, then against Grendel&rsquo;s mother, a water demon, finally a third battle against the Wyrm, a serpentine dragon that mortally wounded Beowulf, and set his great legacy in stone. The movie script, by famed comic book auteur and novelist Neil Gaiman (SANDMAN) and former Tarantino-collaborator Roger Avery, took a bit of liberty with its source material. The film manipulated the basic structure of the poem to craft a deeper story where Beowulf (Ray Winstone) kills Grendel, only to be seduced by the monster&rsquo;s demon mother (she is Angelina Jolie after all,) who placed a curse upon Beowulf, one that ultimately led him into the fatal battle against the dragon. None of the key elements or themes of the poem were really lost in this Hollywood &ldquo;remix&rdquo;&mdash;in fact, some of the more insightful points about Beowulf the man, which the poem could only hint at, were given room to breathe on the screen. And while the film did slow down in the middle, it eventually picked up steam again to deliver a pretty spectacular climax. en-US Critics Rant info@criticsrant.com Subtext Version 1.9.4.0 http://www.criticsrant.com/images/default_gravatar_bullhorn.png http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/11/17/BEOWULF-Breathes-New-Life-Into-Old-Art.aspx 77 60 http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/11/17/BEOWULF-Breathes-New-Life-Into-Old-Art.aspx#2252 cant wait to see this one:0 tinkluvspan http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/11/17/BEOWULF-Breathes-New-Life-Into-Old-Art.aspx#2252 Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:12:28 GMT http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/11/17/BEOWULF-Breathes-New-Life-Into-Old-Art.aspx#2257 i would like to see this one also brokun1 http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/11/17/BEOWULF-Breathes-New-Life-Into-Old-Art.aspx#2257 Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:47:31 GMT http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/11/17/BEOWULF-Breathes-New-Life-Into-Old-Art.aspx#2272 I want to see this one. Catyanna http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/11/17/BEOWULF-Breathes-New-Life-Into-Old-Art.aspx#2272 Wed, 21 Nov 2007 08:51:08 GMT http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/11/17/BEOWULF-Breathes-New-Life-Into-Old-Art.aspx#2526 Awesome take on a epic tale... I had a hard time at points deciding if I was really watching CGI or not - which is the goal - and mixed enough subtle humour in to keep the movie upbeat.<br /><br />In further defense of CGI, "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children" is a phenomenal sequel to FFVII, the PS1 game, worthy of a watch... Be forewarned, though, if you're not familiar with the game, the plot may lose you. neurotictim http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/11/17/BEOWULF-Breathes-New-Life-Into-Old-Art.aspx#2526 Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:02:56 GMT http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/11/17/BEOWULF-Breathes-New-Life-Into-Old-Art.aspx#2998 loved this movie! darkrose http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/11/17/BEOWULF-Breathes-New-Life-Into-Old-Art.aspx#2998 Thu, 14 Feb 2008 15:16:33 GMT