Story was ok. visuals in IMAX Digital 3-D was OUTSTANDING. Frame of mind... let's not go there.
I'd say my opinions are precisely opposed to yours. I'm curious to see how many people who have seen the movie have any experience with the epic poem. I'm talking about critical literary experience, not "we had to read it in high school and it sucked."
I think the story itself, not the plot (yes, there is a difference) was wonderful. I'm always fascinated by adaptation and revision of literature, and when an author is able to put his own stamp on an established story I will applaud his efforts regardless of whether I feel the film does the original work of literature any justice or disservice.
The backstory that the film implies paints us a completely different picture of Beowulf and Hrothgar as flawed human characters. Gaiman is clearly dealing with the WHY of these characters rather than just the action we're presented with in the original poem. The story is almost Shakespearian in its tragic mode, which is vastly different from the mostly linear and simplistic epic poem. But the film's plot (i.e. the action that occurs on the screen) is almost hilarious in its banality.
As for the CG effects; didn't you feel as if...yeah ok, it's polished and pretty and the technology used to make it so is impressive...but it's all been done before? Peter Jackson did it often in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and again in
King Kong, George Lucas did a great deal of it in the Star Wars prequels, Zemeckis himself already did it in
The Polar Express.
Personally, I see Robert Zemeckis as a talentless apologist who only describes himself as an "experimental filmmaker" when his movies tank because he thinks Hollywood executives equate "experimental" with "not very popular." Some of his early writing was wonderful, and
Back to the Future remains one of the greatest movies in cinematic history. But I think he's outgrown his usefulness in the industry. I don't think we're ever going to see another
Lift or
Used Cars from this man.
I think
Beowulf proves, once again, that even given a wonderful screen play by Neil Gaiman, technology that would make interstellar travelers gape in wonder, and a cast of reasonably talented actors, he is no longer capable of making a good film.
