Beowolf

The first thing that tipped me off was the trailers that preceded this movie: Computer Generated Images, violence, fantastical monsters, etc., etc., etc. Because I wanted to save the extra $2.00 surcharge for 3D glasses, I opted for the "plain" version. After all, what could possibly top Vincent Price in "House of Wax?" He was the best!

This Scandinavian epic has been related for centuries, and I suppose this interpretation is as good as some of the others, although this version certainly takes more than one major detour. This movie uses a much-improved "motion capture" technique that we first saw with "Polar Express." Suffice it to say, the faces and expressions are very real, despite being computer generated.

You will hear the voices of Ray Winstone as Beowolf, John Malkovich as Unferth, Anthony Hopkins as Hrothgar, Crispin Glover as Grendel, and Angelina Jolie as Grendal's mother. Because of the integrity of motion capture, the faces ARE the faces of the actors, even though you are usually aware you are seeing CGI. Using this technique, the filmmakers are free to create otherworldly settings with wildly inventive dragons, beautifully sculpted anatomies but a few surprisingly bad horses (some are okay). Of course, keeping in mind their target audience, the monster oozes disgustingly slimy stuff, corpses are decapitated, and when the monster bites the head off one victim, it crunches in a very satisfying way as he chews it... Aarghhh!

Have you heard enough? I don't think ponying up the extra $2.00 for 3-D glasses will increase your enjoyment...