The original Old English epic -Beowulf-, written a bit over 1,000 years ago, does not on the face of it appear to have a particularly compelling story: Beowulf kills a monster; then he kills another monster; then, later in life, he kills yet another monster. People who can actually read Old English claim that this work has literary merit, and they're probably right - but we must take their word for it.

The film at first looks as though it will consist of the tedious sequence of violent events you'd expect from a synopsis of the poem, without any of the actual poetry. Even though the combination of motion capture and CGI works better than it ever has in the past (unlike in previous films, characters don't look constantly hung over - or at least, no more than they should), you might dread sitting through two hours of this. But stay with the film for that first half-hour or so: an unexpected twist, which purists might object to, makes the story a much more powerful one than you initially expect it to be.

P.

S.: I saw the 3D version, which we're not able to screen. But although I'm in the minority, I'd actually prefer to see this film the traditional way: flat. Don't feel that you're missing out if you can't put on a pair of uncomfortable glasses and sort of have the illusion of spears poking you in the eye.