In effect, Beowulf avoided some of the most common pitfalls of epic films: the groan-inducing, single-tear closeup, the predictable battle cry from the top of a mountain. Even so, the editing was slow enough, and the pauses frequent enough, that the film had an authentic ambience and emotional quality underlying it. This might have been aided by the strikingly realistic faces, contrasted with the slightly cartoonish bodies.

Before I close this review, I should mention some of the thematic elements in Beowulf, and make no mistake — there was a lot going on. The frailty of manhood was cut clearly in the characterization, and the alienation brought on by power was played out intelligently. Constructions of heroism and authority were an unavoidable topic for the filmmakers, and they addressed them clearly, but didn't allow them to fully define the narrative. All the killing managed to keep Beowulf from becoming too talky.

One mark of the filmmakers' genius was to use a straightforward confrontation between man and monster as the superstructure over a more epic conflict, whose influence could be felt throughout the film: the conflict between a Nordic past and a Christian future. This subtext goes deeper than the obvious dialogue, though that's interesting in its own right... the conflict between old and new orders is built right into the vocabulary of the film. Next time you go, watch for burning crosses, crucifixion images, and dialects... the only authentic Old English spoken in Beowulf comes from the mouth of the monster and his mother.

Ultimately, Beowulf was a success on virtually all fronts, with the possible exception of the animation, if that kind of thing really bothers you. Most reviewers tell you to wait for the 3-D, and I'm sure it's totally awesome... but it's not the movie's soul. Though the technical quirks of the experience may belie its complexity, the strength of Beowulf isn't in the bits and bytes... it's in a story that strikes a compromise between muscle and gray matter, the way any good mythology should.