Beowulf: Great Epic Poem to Great Epic Movie

Beowulf. Can an Epic Poem become an Epic Movie? Impossible?

Beowulf is an Old English heroic poem of good against evil. It's the single surviving work of Anglo Saxon Poetry. The setting is the period when the world was young, superstitious, and ruled by Kings. The backdrop of the story is a blend of fantasy and history. Beowulf is considered the first, the original Super Hero. If you ever dabble in the theories of The Nephilim, Beowulf fits that mold also.

Again, it would seem impossible to bring such a highly lauded piece of ancient literature to life. It would take one hell of a capable crew.

Enter Director Robert Zemeckis. He's defined his career by taking enormous leaps of the impossible. His list of accomplishments include Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, What Lies Beneath, Castaway, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Director: check.

Next, consider the writers. A studio will throw all the special effects at the audience, but without a good script, it doesn't matter. Enter Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary.

Neil Gaiman is one of the most acclaimed authors in comic book history. He was the critically acclaimed writer of The Sandman, which was the only comic to win the World Fantasy Award. Gaiman also penned the Engligh Language Script for Princess Mononoke. He's also the writer/creator of Mirror Mask & Stardust.

Roger Avary co-wrote Beowulf with Gaiman. Avary is no stranger to collaborations. He co-wrote Reservoir Dogs, True Romance, and Pulp Fiction. He was overshadowed by his buddy Tarantino until Rules of Attraction.

Now the actors. Although it's mainly voicework as their contribution, they maintain their high level of excellence. Anthony Hopkins is the quintessential anchor for any movie. The consummate professional that never drops the ball, constantly delivering Oscar worthy performances. Here, he's the physical model as well as the voice and spirit of King Hrothgar. Even if he physically acted the role, it couldn't have been better than his performance.