Beowulf (2007) Review

A few months ago my husband was at a Media conference and learned that Beowulf would soon be released using a new amazing technology known as "a hybrid of animation and live action".  The actors didn't just do voices, they actually went as far as wearing suits that could sense their every move.  So was it worth all the hype?  I say YES!

The Story
I had read a Beowulf book in grade school, but couldn't remember what it was about.  Near the start I remembered as Beowulf jumped into one of his exaggerated tales of heroism.  That is who Beowulf is, a hero, but an exaggerated one.  Sure he does great things, but he makes them sound ten times greater.  His name is known throughout the world and his stories are told over and over.  That is the only part of the book that I remembered, everything else in the movie did not seem familiar to me.

The other part of the story is this small town Beowulf comes to save from an evil monster who kills... and kills... and kills.  Can he save this town from it's demons?  You'll have to see.

Actors
I've always liked Angelina Jolie and she, of course, was great.  I'm sure many guys will just go to see her nearly naked, even though it's animated.  It's still very realistic.  Ray Winstone is a newbie to me, but I thought he did excellent.  There is some guy butt to see there as well - it's not all Angelina.  However both animated almost nude characters were way too realistic for kids.  I can't believe this movie was rated PG-13.  All the main characters did good, but some of the smaller characters were hard to understand at times.

Graphics
Most people will go see this just for the visuals, which are even better in 3D!  The characters look very close to real but the animation factor is still there.  It's as close to real as I think I have ever seen.  The way the people moved was just like a real person would move.  The scenery was nice and everything was nicely detailed to look almost real. 

Gross!
To get to my main con, this movie was gross.  First, the main monster was just disgusting from the second he came on screen.  I think he is supposed to have his nerves and such on the outside, at least that is what it looked like.  I couldn't stand to look at him.  Guys may think that is great, and some girls may think it's awesome graphics too, but if you are like me, just be forewarned.  The fighting scenes were also incredibly violent.  People did not just get knocked down like they do in most animated flicks.  Instead, people were ripped in half, heads bitten off, and parts of people thrown right in your face since it was in 3D.  I learned early on when to take a long blink.  This would be another reason not to bring kids, they could easily get scared or have visuals stuck in their head all night.

The End!
I recommend this movie as long as you are aware of the gore.  Don't bring your kids!  You may not be able to stop your teens from seeing it, but I would discourage them if they are the type to get easily scared.  The technology was awesome and I'm looking forward to more movies that use this in the future.  I enjoyed it overall, especially in 3D!  Check out your local Imax today.  Enjoy!!