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The classic Old English heroic epic poem of Beowulf is adapted to the big screen and has enough eye candy and CGI to almost make you want to read the actual poem. Developed entirely in CGI, similar to movies like The Polar Express, the movie shines to its fullest effect in 3D IMAX. Unfortunately, no place in Potsdam allows for the enjoyment of 3D IMAX but that doesn't mean you can't still enjoy it. You can still tell what was meant to be 3D and while it may not make you jump out of your seat, the basic effect is still there and enjoyable.

But what good is all the eye candy if there's no good story behind it? Luckily, director Robert Zemeckis decided to stay relatively true to the original and presented the story as the poem did.

The story is set about 500 A.D. in a small Danish castle ruled by king Hrothgar. The Mead Hall, Heorot, is beset by a demon monster Grendel whenever the inhabitants feast and drink. Heorot is shut down until a hero comes to slay Grendel and frees the Danes from their curse.

Cue Beowulf, hero of the Geats, who comes across the sea to free the Danes of their monster. Beowulf is a cocky, hotshot warrior, just as he was portrayed in the poem and promises to free the Danes of their curse. He tells stories, somewhat exaggerated, of his previous deeds, including a race across the sea in which he killed several sea monsters. He sleeps in the hall and provokes Grendel to attack, at which time he removes his arm and sends him back into the mountains to die. However, the mother still inhabits the mountains from which Grendel came and avenges her son's death by killing those in Heorot. Beowulf must then travel to defeat her, which leads to a few interesting plot twists.

Zemeckis split the movie into three major parts, just as the poem is: the battle with Grendel, the battle with Grendel's mother, and the battle with the dragon. Zemeckis does take a slight detour from the traditional story that makes Beowulf into the unreliable narrator of his own story. However, the twist works well in the story, which makes more sense than the traditional story and helps connect Beowulf's older years to his younger ones. It's one of the few times a diversion from the original story has been better then the original.

For all its great visuals and interesting plot twists, the movie feels like three short movies, none of which are very fleshed out. The film almost seems to be a parody of the story with the hotshot strutting of Beowulf, his womanizing, and the frequent jokes that are cracked by the various characters throughout the movie. Of course, this is the ultimate problem of most films - follow a good story, or go for those sweet action shots.

Overall though, Beowulf succeeds in being a good action movie adaptation. While it's not going to be a great movie or invoke any new chants at a hockey game, it's worth the two hours and seven dollars.

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