From the Brow of Zeus

I'm sorry, I just don't see the point of trying to show that Beowulf wasn't a super-strong badass who could rip off a monster's arm with his bare hands (as in the poem), THEN giving him all these ridiculous Spider-Man powers (endless backflips, rope-swings and super-human agility).

I mean, what are they going for? The "real" story, where Beowulf isn't all he's cracked up to be, or yet another ragdoll super-spinny CGI flip-fest fightscene where the hero swings around on ropes, spins like a dreidel and always lands on his feet?

People don't really move like that. It looks fake and silly. Either stick with the original, badass, arm-wrenching, catch-as-catch-can wrestling Beowulf, or have him fight like a normal man and not some backflipping Ninja Turtle.

UPDATE:

Some disagree:

I think that fight scene may have been a commentary on how legends, as told, don't always truthfully tell what really happened. Heck, this was demonstrated right in the movie: we clearly see Beowulf using the door to "chop" Grendel's arm off, and the very next day the story is being told about how he ripped his arm off with his bare hands.

Look, I realize what they were trying to do. I'm just saying that in doing so, they've created yet another heroic layer of bullpucky.

It's like they're saying, "Beowulf wasn't REALLY super strong, kids. But he COULD jump twenty feet in the air, do a 540 spin, and land on his feet."

And in twenty years, there'll be another movie.

"Musclebound Beowulf wasn't REALLY more agile than an acrobat -- he actually had laser eyes."

Labels: movies