Beowulf

I've heard many complaints that Beowulf does not follow the original story. I've heard many people tell me that they would not go see it because of this fact. Well, I hadn't read the story to begin with, so I figured I had nothing to lose. And I'm lucky, because Beowulf, though it takes its time to milk some of its visual effects, is a good film.

Now though I haven't read the book, I can tell when watching the movie that they wanted to go another direction. So many references were made to legends being passed down and stories being told that I got the idea that Beowulf is not a film version of the book, but rather about the book. In other words, it's the story of the story. The “Behind the Music” of the book. And in the end, thinking about the book actually helps the storyline, as one of the things that pain Beowulf in the film is that his story, his legend, is just a bit of a lie. I say to anyone who is complaining about the whole book thing, go see it. I'm pretty sure, though once again I should state I've never read the story, that this film can sit beside the book in much the same way Grendel (another book I've never read) sits beside the book. It isn't based on the book per-say, but it is about it.

Also, the 3D is kickass. Especially now that the new 3D glasses don't give you headaches anymore.