BEOWULF Review

BEOWULF—This CGI version of the English 101 mainstay offers a Faustian update on the classic tale of a warrior (Ray Winstone) battling the monster Grendel (Crispin Glover at his most manic) and his mother (interpreted as a naked, 3-D Angelina Jolie). Director Robert Zemeckis has improved the quality of his motion-capture filmmaking since the creepiness of The Polar Express, but the computerized actors still suffer from Botoxed foreheads and unmoving eyebrows. The violence and sexuality makes this inappropriate for kids, and yet it doesn’t go far enough to be entertaining for adults. There’s a great mature-oriented animated film out there, but this isn’t it. Rated PG-13. —ZS