First, let me say that if they made a film of the entire story of Beowulf, my ass would be broken due to six to seven hours of sitting continuedly on it. So, the story is not the original. But it's a very well done adaptation of Beowulf. You've got the strong father-son themes between Beowulf and the dragon. You've got some sexual intrigue, with Beowulf falling for the water demon, as well as having a little something on the side once he's married. You've got strong camaraderie between Beowulf's Geats alongside the territorial shakedown from the Danes. And you've got some really disgusting fight scenes, with great sound effects et al.
Overall, I'd say it's a good message: Man creates his own demons to fight, which leaves the world without heroes in the traditional sense. You see the flaws of the hero; you understand that the story continues. I even liked the small mention of the rise of Christianity - but the film does lack in suspense and pacing. It did seem to drag a bit in the middle.
I will say my favorite part was the language of the Grendl and his mother, as well as the performance of the Beowulf story. As a linguist, it was about as original as they could get without losing the audience to subtitles and foreign language confusion. Very nice.
Later this afternoon, I will be walking around the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco with Rae. One of their exhibitions is of contemporary Japanese fashion... They even have traditional tea ceremonies on the upper floor every few months, which are $20 a person. Could be interesting, especially since I'll be going there with Rae, who is in fact Japanese!
This image from:
http://www.asianart.org/stylizedgallery/stylizedgallery.html
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco