In the age of heroes, a mighty warrior named Beowulf arrives at the court of King Hrothgar and offers to rid the kingdom of a vicious demon called Grendel, and later, Grendel's mother, who begins killing out of revenge.
The film strives for mythological depth and epic breadth, but it's hard to get below the flat, shallow gloss over every surface.
Fayetteville Free Weekly
February 02, 2009
700 A.D. is now 21st Century American 3-D. It's a hell of a transformation. The 3-D version of Beowulf -- the one you must see if you see the film -- is a wild roller coaster ride.
Beowulf is a well conceived and technically excellent rendition of the ancient legend, but it doesn't follow its ideas through all the way, and some strange choices on the part of Zemeckis ultimately make it a little less than the sum of its parts.