Beowulf: Director's Cut

This is not the Beowulf you read in school. It is more like the Beowulf in the comic book.

As Director Robert Zemeckis (Used Cars, Back to the Future series, and Forrest Gump) put it, "This story is about eating, drinking, fighting, and fornicating." I would call that description accurate.

The target demographic is clearly the male 23 to 33-year-old-video-game-playing public. If you are not in that group, you will most likely not enjoy this movie.

I watched it with a well-known Beowulf scholar, and she was at best, amused. The modernized puns overshadowed the mistakes made in the original Olde English. It was as much fun to watch the scholar as the movie.

The method for making this movie was very high-tech and cutting edge. Everything is computer generated. The main characters are in great detail, and everything else is more like Shrek.

So, let me recap. If you like video games you will probably like this movie. If you are a guy, you will probably like this movie. If you studied Beowulf in school and enjoyed it, you may enjoy this telling of an ancient story. Many parts are recognizable. If you are into CG movies, you will totally enjoy the extra features on this DVD telling how they did it.

If, on the other hand, you don't fit any of those categories, you may not enjoy this so much. Watch it with someone who is also from one of those categories.