Beowulf
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: November 16, 2007 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
13
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Zemeckis springs so many pow 3-D surprises you'll think Beowulf is your own private fun house. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Beowulf is a solemnly gorgeous, at times borderline stolid piece of Tolkien-with-a-joystick mythology. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
For the record, it's truly puzzling that this film has been rated PG-13; it's much stronger than that. The monsters of "Beowulf" have haunted human imagination for more than a millennium; the ones in this film will easily provoke a few nightmares. Read full review
80
EmpireTom Ambrose
It’s not a reinvention of the wheel, but in 3D this is an astonishing experience that borders on ‘must-see’, and raises the bar for what James Cameron is planning with Avatar. And you’ll be glad to know that the creepy dead eyes thing has been fixed. Read full review
80
TimeRichard Corliss
It's got power and depth, and two kings whose greatness is diluted by hubris, and a thrilling dragon fight, and the demon Grendel as a tortured outcast, and a naked monster who looks a lot like Angelina Jolie. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
Highly entertaining - but far from classic. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
Zemeckis has converted the epic poem about the warrior who slays the monster Grendel into a species of computer game. He employs the same motion-capture technology that he first used in "The Polar Express," to slightly better effect. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
We are not looking at flesh-and-blood actors but special effects that look uncannily convincing, even though I am reasonably certain that Angelina Jolie does not have spike-heeled feet. That's right: feet, not shoes. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Beowulf couldn't be less faithful to the original epic poem, and that's actually a good thing for moviegoers. It's a lot more fun than the mythic adventure most of us read in school. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Regardless of the medium, this is an effectively brutal story of swords, sorcery, demons, and heroes, with an Oedipal hint or two thrown in for flavor. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Not all of it works - and not all of it works the way the target audience of jacked-up young males might want it to - but the movie is hugely provocative fun, and I'm pretty sure that's on purpose. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
Director Robert Zemeckis not only deploys 21st century movie technology at its finest to turn the heroic poem into a vibrant, nerve-tingling piece of pop culture, but his film actually makes sense of Beowulf. In Zemeckis' hands, it's an intriguing look at a hero as a flawed human being. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyLuke Y. Thompson
Beowulf may ultimately be viewed as a failure, but it’s a fascinating one. Read full review
70
Washington PostStephen Hunter
The story works, but I wish they'd teach these avatars to act. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Beowulf deserves to be taken semiseriously; its eye candy is mixed with narrative fiber and dramatic protein. But it begs to be taken frivolously. Effects have grown so exciting in the realm of the third dimension that you just sit there all agog behind your polarizing glasses. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderStaff (Not credited)
The bolder stroke comes from screenwriters Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction) and Neil Gaiman (the graphic novel Sandman), who’ve turned the arthritic legend into sort of an Arthur Miller play in chain mail. Read full review
70
SlateDana Stevens
Could call Zemeckis subtle; but his style Well suits the poem's crude and earthy brawn. Comic-Con geeks and cinephiles alike Will gape at the resplendent imagery (But don ye specs, and see it in 3-D). Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Although this version of Beowulf (the script, ricocheting between thrilling, heroic, and hilarious, is by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary) does take some liberties with certain heretofore undreamed of aspects of parentage, it's as faithful to the extant version as it needs to be. Read full review
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
People's eyes still look as glassy and dull as a taxidermized possum's. But if you're going to Beowulf to experience the sweeping passions that only real eyes can convey, you're missing the point. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jason Anderson
If the arrival of Beowulf is any indication, movie actors will soon all be replaced by lifelike, digitally animated facsimiles. The good news is that some of them might still sound like John Malkovich. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
As dazzling a feast for the eyes as the hungriest eyes can take. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Beowulf is many things, but boring isn't one of them. Read full review
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