Being a fan of the mostly unknown Gerard Butler as well as the source material, I looked forward to his starring in a classic epic. Unfortunately, the film doesn't do him, or anyone else for that matter, justice. The movie opens in a very odd manner that seems to leave the viewer out of the loop as to who the characters on screen are and what their significance to the plot is. Even as a semi-coherent plot emerges, the directing improves little. Several scenes end without coming to a logical conclusion, as if they'd been abandoned. The dialogue, unfortunately, fares no better. Many lines are so ridiculously absurd they become unintentionally funny. To make matters worse, the writers decided to add the character of Selma the witch to the story, who exists solely to provide someone for Beowulf to have sex with by the end of the movie. Now I realize this is an imposing story to have to tell on a budget, but I have to question the decision to reduce Grendel to what is basically a primitive man rather than a fearsome monster. Overall, the film suffers from lack of character development, careful editing, and pacing (for an action movie, it is at time painfully slow) as well as some silly dialogue. There might be a decent movie in there somewhere, but this isn't it.
Review of Beowulf & Grendel
