Beowulf (1999) User Reviews

Come on, people, dance, not fight!

[Vomitron_G · 4/10 · 4 December 2005]

The future of fantasy never looked so dark! Christopher Lambert gets to fight the evil demon Grendel in this grim looking trashy fantasy-epos. "Epos" I said? Er... there's only one location, so you can't really call it an epic adventure, can you? The location is a medieval/futuristic 5 inch tall castle, so how did they manage to cram in all the actors? Oh, I get it, those where special effects. A miniature. Silly me.

Here's some reasons why you might want or NOT want to watch this motion picture:

• Lambert gets to do his sword-swinging tricks over again like he did in Highlander.

• The sets and costumes are amazingly cool (if you're a 12-year-old).

• Rhona Mitra has a voluptuous pair of knockers which she likes to show off through-out the whole movie.

• ...er, Christopher Lambert has white hair...

• Every time they start fighting, this over-the-top raving techno-soundtrack gets going. So why are these medieval slayer-dudes fighting while they should be dancing.

• They don't have electricity in this castle but they do have speakers installed which seem to work fine. So where's the amplifier? I guess they borrowed it from the techno-dj who delivered the soundtrack.

• Watch it for the climax in the end which features an outrageous demonoïd CGI creature coming straight out of any Playstation 2 survival-horror game.

If all this got you interested, then go watch it (at your own risk), but don't tell anyone I told you to. I strongly suspect Pinhead visiting the set while shooting, because this movie has no soul. Anyway, if you want to see beautiful Rohna Mitra really show some skin, then watch Paul Verhoeven's HOLLOW MAN.

A great movie... for a laugh.

[gaiafaye · 3/10 · 27 February 2004]

We screened this movie in a club as an example of how classic literature can become twisted into some of the most awful movies of all time. Just the fact that the back of the box proudly proclaimed the plot to be set in the "techno-futile" future should have been enough of a hint. I think that word describes the movie itself, because no matter how much technology they tried to use to save this movie, the effort was completely futile. Not to mention that our club advisor told us that it allegedly couldn't get a distributor for two years.

This cinematic failure is littered with cheesy, cliche dialogue that's worse than angsty teen poetry. Beowulf's character changes halfway through in a way that is in no way credible, and whenever he's in an action scene, he's constantly flipping like a hyper gymnast. There is even, as they say, a "token black guy" whose attempts at humor are completely out of place. And, of course, the daughter of the leader of the outpost Grendel is terrorizing is a total vixen. A vixen whose breasts are exposed throughout the entire movie. A vixen who wants to fight the creature, yet she never puts on armor. And her weapon of choice is a little carving knife. And despite their dire situation, she still dresses up for dinner, in a dress with a see-through skirt that exposes her short-shorts underwear. There are a couple scenes that could pass as soft core pornography, and in the second scene they even reuse footage from the first. I thought the portrayal of Grendel was bad enough, but then came the end of the film, which featured a display of CGI that might be decent for the 80s, but is totally ridiculous for a late 90s venture. I could go on, but you all should watch this film for the fully laughable effect yourselves.

The other club members and I did manage to have fun watching this by taking a cue from MST 3K and mocking it the whole way through. I'm still reeling from an extra's weapon: a perpetually spinning pizza cutter on a pole.

below expectations

[Mickey Knox · 4/10 · 28 December 2000]

I've heard many things about Beowulf, maybe because i'm from Romania and a good part of the movie was filmed here, in my country. And i expected a lot from this film. At the end, i was disappointed. It is not as horrible as other users said, but it's definetely bad. It's all about a monster killing people in a 6th century castle and Lambert the one who comes to kill him. Lambert is good, as he is in all his roles, but the rest of the characters suck, and the action isn't too good either. Plus maybe the only thing that could've saved this film, the special effects, are also very bad, the monster looks awful (not scary, but awful). Oh and another bad thing: the music. The movie tries, and manages to create the 6th century atmosphere. But all the action sequences are presented on rock music, which is very very bad. I mean action on rock works perfectly on a movie like Charlie's Angels - where that's the perfect way to shoot your action. But here, that was a very bad idea.

Vote: 4 out of 10.

it could be...

[Kirpianuscus · 2 April 2019]

...the worst version of Beowulf. But the basic feeling is continuous surprising because each scene discovers new aspect of a real bad film. From performances and story, vulgarity and kitsch to the awfull techno music. And, except the crumbs of Highlander and the gymnastic moments of Christopher Lambert, the film gives nothing more. But, unfortunatelly, it real tries.

What is movie green for to crazy maker mother?!

[lastgoldrush · 2/10 · 9 July 2008]

What. Uh...

This movie is so dissociative and messed up that I literally lost a bit of my sanity after it was over. I will never be the same person again. I'm trying to put my finger on what, exactly, is so completely insane about it... It's not just the hilarious techno music, or the "outside of time" medieval/Blade Runner/wild west/Highlander setting, or the weird CGI "Grendel" monster that looks like a man made out of animated sausages, or even the "Grendel's mother" monster, which looks like some Alabama table-dancer who grew claws and tentacles when she stayed in the tanning bed too long. All of those things are weird, but what's really the strangest thing in this movie is the acting. I simply can't explain. This script is obviously, hellishly silly, but the actors exude deadly seriousness through it all. Lambert is always weird, and usually kind of boring, but for this one he's gone into Dolph Lundgrin territory: I can't help but just start laughing every time he talks.

I will give this movie some credit for being completely scatter-brained and crazy as opposed to conservative and boring. I'll always take a bizarre disaster of a film over an utterly mediocre one.

Warning: if you are planning on watching Christopher Lambert as Beowulf, be prepared to spend several hours thereafter wandering the streets in some kind of nightmarish, hyperactive-catatonic daze. It's true. When I was done with my Beowulf spirit journey, I woke up in the middle of the Siberian tundra in a puddle of blood and milk. There was a dead wolf lying next to me, and I later found I had a handful of human teeth in my shirt pocket. My VHS copy of Beowulf was sitting on a hastily-constructed stone altar nearby, enshrined with candles and wilted flowers. The tape told me to walk. I rose and I walked.

Shame on them!

[cagekicker · 1/10 · 10 June 2006]

I've read a couple different versions of Beowulf (the lady at the used bookstore couldn't believe I was reading it because I wanted to as opposed to needing to for a class), and I love the story.

When I saw that there was going to be a sci fi version of the story, I had high hopes. I thought to myself, "Self, this could be very cool." Sadly, I was very disappointed when I rented the movie and sat down to watch it.

As the ending credits rolled by, my only comment was that all involved should commit a ritual suicide in order to atone for their sins. I'm not going to burden you with any further comment. Make your own decision as to whether or not you choose to watch this movie. I wash my hands, and take no responsibility for your actions.

Good day.

FEAR IS ALL I KNOW

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 12 April 2019]

For book purists, you will be happy to know this feature meticulously caters to every detail down to the martial arts fighting and black guy with glasses. Christopher Lambert plays the title role. He was able to deliver weapons at a terrific pace but unable to deliver a single line.

The setting is unspecified northern pagan with fancy weapons which gave the film a "Mad Max" feel.. The soundtrack ranged from metal to dance music with an occasional western flute. The special effects were pretty good as were Layla Roberts' breasts as seen through a sheer gown (Playboy Miss September 1999).

The B-Wulf man is unintentionally funny with his dry lines.

Parental Guide: No f-bombs. Sex. Sheer gown nudity.

Horrible.

[jake-179 · 1/10 · 9 December 2000]

This movie was truly horrible. Too bad. REALLY too bad. The original story of Beowulf is a classic. A GREAT adventure story about terrible monsters and great heroics and leadership. I have been a big fan of the story since I was a kid when I read Michael Chriton's "EATERS OF THE DEAD,"and I dreamed of making movies. And I always hoped that some ambitious director would someday make the story of BEOWULF into a great movie. Needless to say, I was excited when "THE THIRTEENTH WARRIOR" came out. And, needless to say, I was terribly disappointed. So when I heard they were making a futuristic sci-fi adaptation of the story, my hopes were renewed. But "BEOWULF" is even worse than "THE THIRTEENTH WARRIOR." They had good set design and good costuming. When the movie first started I thought, "Hey, this might not be so bad." But after the first few scenes, I realized that the mark had been missed once again. This movie was not only a disappointment, it was embarrassing to watch! I felt embarrassed for Christopher Lambert. He was great in "HighLander." Well, now that I think of it, thats the only decent movie the man has ever made. I thought the movie director would at least have some decent fight scenes. But instead, he chose to get a gymnast to stand in for Christopher Lambert and bounce around all over the place. Why is it that when the hero needs to back away from his attacker they always end up just doing back handsprings? Why not just back up? Wouldn't that save a lot of energy and make a lot more sense? Gymnastics are fun to watch, but they do NOT substitute for well choreographed fight scenes. If you are a director and you are thinking of going that route with your movie, CONTACT ME. I will come choreograph your fight scenes for you.

This movie is horrible. I tried to watch it. I tried to give it a chance. But it was just terrible. I was barely able to stay with it to the end. I say, avoid this movie!

Bad.

[LinguaFranca · 1/10 · 5 May 2003]

I knew this movie was going to be bad. I did not know it was going to be this bad. It is horrible, and not in a "Plan 9 from Outer Space" kind of way. As a dabbler in Old English, I'm embarrassed to have watched it. I wasted a free rental on this movie.

Slick and enjoyable

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 7/10 · 24 October 2011]

An outpost is continually attacked at night by a beast known as Grendel. One day, Beowulf, a mysterious stranger, shows up and claims he will slay it. That's about it for the similarity to the original poem, by the way. This is set in a post-apocalyptic age, or a revisionist history version of the medieval times(I think the specific term is Steampunk). It is an awesome flick, pure B-movie goodness, and it isn't particularly aspiring to be anything more than that. If that isn't appealing to you, this wasn't made for you. On the production side, it has a nice look to it, with great lighting, distinct designs(those weapons are nifty! And not just the morphy ones that the titular hero produces a seemingly endless supply of... add to that the creature stuff) and genuine atmosphere(in spite of a kickass soundtrack consisting of a mix of rock and techno). It's well-paced and does not overstay its welcome(this is about 83 minutes before the credits... and on that note, guess what the opening titles of this is? Essentially those of Mortal Kombat of '95, they just swapped the text, the iconic background, and put lightning where there used to be fire). The action is great, if it can feel like it's cutting to a stunt double some(and man, is Lambert proud of his ability to do backflips... he does them as much as he possibly can in this), the choreography is well-done and it's exciting. This also gets genuine tension going, and is scary at points. The badassery is through the roof, especially with Christopher, but really, nearly all the males in this are testosterone-fueled stereotypes spouting ridiculous one-liners. The female lead is Rhona Mitra's cleavage, and one can clearly tell why her breasts were cast(I'm not kidding, she shows them every single time she faces the camera in this... in her sheer outfit, she wears the most clothes out of any of the women in this, which is "hardly any"). For the villain, we have a succubus portrayed by a Playmate who looks and behaves exactly like what her day job is(makes sense, no?). The practical FX are well-done, the CGI is reasonable for the time. For both, they don't rely on it excessively, rather they cut back and forth like before cinema could simply stay on a computer-generated visual, and with the anticipated effect - there is build-up to the monster. There is a bunch of strong, bloody, gory violence, disturbing content, nudity and direct sexuality. I recommend this to any fan of cool, dumb, fun entertainment. 7/10

Overall a pretty crappy movie

[Alstegner · 2/10 · 5 December 2005]

Beowulf is a Science fiction horror, action/adventure film staring Christopher Lambert that is based on the 9th century Anglo-Saxon story of the same name. The time and setting of the movie is left a complete mystery. Lambert's character Beowulf is a human that possess great fighting skills and tools who travels to an outpost castle to save the people living inside from a supernatural creature named Grendel.

All grandiloquent speech aside, Christopher Lambert's performance in Beowulf was a shining bastion of over acting. With nothing left to loose this past his prime actor put everything he had, and then some into this film. I was enthralled, I laughed, I cried, I laughed so hard I cried; the film was atrocious. The entire film was an attempt by the director to delve the viewer into a world of claustrophobia like that of Alien with a costume scheme of Mad Max beyond Thunder-Dome and the cheesy fight scene style of the Mortal Kombat movies. The claustrophobia and fear was inexistent but they definitely succeeded in creating cheesy action sequences like those of Mortal Kombat. The costumes, weapons and props that the characters were equipped with defied all convention. In one scene the king steps into view wearing a helmet that completely covered his face with no holes to see out of, and says "I can't see anything" and removes the ridiculous helmet. A reoccurring theme of the movie is weapons like that of the story. But the weapons in the movie are all asinine. Soldiers are armed with pole arm pizza cutters and giant bread knives. Beowulf, Lambert's character is a self proclaimed weapons expert who as well as his hedge clipper sword, he carries a knife that shoots disks and an automatic crossbow. One of the most astounding props in the movie is a guillotine style killing machine that resembles a giant shaving razor. I was at a loss of words when I saw this monstrous machine on the screen and that loss of words is still with me. The actors and actresses in Beowulf are truly something to behold. I am almost One Hundred Percent sure that the female casting call for the movie was held at the Playboy mansion. The females staring in Beowulf all had busting at the seams fake chests, and caked on make up, not to mention glitter lip gloss. The male actors must have been extras that were stolen from the set of the popular TV series Hercules: the legendary journey and Xenia: warrior princess. The Story Beowulf and Beowulf the movie are polar opposites. The writer and the Director went out of there way to create a science fiction horror movie with little relation to the story. Elements that stayed the same included the characters names, after that I found nothing in common other then that Beowulf was a hero fighting a creature named Grendel. All in all they took an idea, a budget and a production, and apparently their integrity and threw the whole kit out the window. I really can not understand how they decided to take such a classic and turn it into pure pulp, mock noir, trash. I am sure that there is a reason that the Director's only other success was Alien Nation, a si/fi buddy cop film that had poor reviews in 1988. Here is Mr. Baker ten years later in 1999 back with another campy, flagrantly terrible film. I can only hope that in 2009 Mr. Graham Baker dos not assault the public at large once again with a hopelessly useless film.

Kickass version of the myth!!

[NateWatchesCoolMovies · 8/10 · 18 July 2016]

There are three main films concerning the myth of Beowulf. The best, a wickedly good Robert Zemeckis motion capture version starring Ray Winstone, a lower budget one with Gerard Butler that hovers right around the average mark, and a third one starring Christopher 'Highlander' Lambert, and let me tell you this one defies any classification. It's set in a time that seems like a blend between both past and future, a sword and sorcery realm that's speckled with steam punk technology and very weird production design that looks post modern, yet not. Beowulf, played by the reliably daffy Lambert (an actor of little talent who has grown on me over the years by his craggy presence alone), is a lone warrior with a bleach blond hair dye job and some neato gadgetry in his weapon arsenal. I know, it sounds like I'm making this up. Haven't even gotten to the best part yet, which is the upbeat German techno score that ramps up the Euro feel of the whole thing to soaring heights of absurdity. Despite all that silliness, the film somehow works, and not just as a schlocky write off either. It's resolve lies dutifully in the firmament of its creative aesthetic, and doesn't skip a single odd duck of a beat the whole way. The monster Grendel which Beowulf must face off against resembles something of a cross between the Predator and Killer Croc, a scaly, spiky behemoth that rips through the little villages in the region like a tornado of teeth and claws. It's mother is even weirder: appearing to men in the form of actress Layla Roberts, (who looks suspiciously like a porn star) before morphing into a massive elaborate demon thingy that looks like a final boss from Starfox. Lambert is joined in his fight by sexy warrior Kyra (Rhona Mitra), and led on by King Hrothgar (Oliver Cotton). It's Beowulf like you've never seen before, a Krull esque, beyond the Stars sci-fi rendition that you'll either be in tune with or won't, either love, hate or just be super confused by. It's bonkers, and I love it.

Loved this movie!!!!

[PatrynXX · 6/10 · 29 March 2001]

Sure it's a B movie. Sure the logo ripped off Mortal Kombat. But fusing techno to a medieval type movie, what wonderful minds they've got. Lovely weapons. Lot's of action. (perhaps needed a little more nudity) But was a great movie overall. Definatly in my list of to buy DVD's. 6/10

poor Christophe(r)!

[FabZeFab · 1/10 · 18 September 2003]

What Christopher Lambert is doing? Is he trying to have the worst filmography in the world? Well, with FORTRESS 2, VERCINGETORIX, NORTH STAR, HIGHLANDER 2,3 and 4 and this BEOWULF, he's close to win his goal! BEOWULF is not funny, not scary. We even don't see Rhona Mitra's boobs! There's strictly nothing in this awful movie. The Beast is just ridiculous with the strange purple fog around it, and THE Christopher, with his blonds hair and his leather suit, looks like a dumb guy, lost in something he doesn't understand. Poor him. Poor us. This movie is a kind of torture!

Uhm, just what i expected really

[Antagonisten · 4 January 2000]

When i rented this movie a couple of nights ago i expected to see just what i saw so i can´t blame anyone but myself. This movie is pretty weird really. It´s a sort of neo-fantasy movie with knights living in a castle with steam-engines, body-bags with zippers and rotating chainsaw-weapons. A strange mix to say the least. But i could have lived with that.

The problem with this movie is not with the scenery which is pretty ok, it´s not with the special effects which are ok. It´s rather with the total lack of a plot, the lack of good action coreography and last but definetly not least the lack of good acting! The actors in this movie where horrible... Of course Christopher Lambert was his usual non-inspired boring self, but all the other actors were also stiff and boring. The monster was actually the most interesting character... The monster was at least pretty good with a nice look. But that couldn´t save this movie in any way. Also a note at the music which wasn´t all bad, it just shouldn´t have been in this movie. In a fantasy movie i don´t want to hear a pumping techno-track, not even in a neo-fantasy movie!

All things considered i think this was a cheap, not very exciting and very forgettable movie. It may thrill a lot of 12-year olds, but for the rest of the people i recommend something with a bit more style, plot and acting. I rate this a 3/10 for trying.

Ugh... Gack.

[derekmadams · 1/10 · 8 June 2001]

What an awful movie. I was forced to watch this as part of a World Masterpieces class, and I must say that it does no justice to the EPIC that inspired it. While the scifi setting was an interesting way to update it, the execution of the aforementioned was horrible. Christopher Lambert, (of Highlander fame, Endgame was something I couldn't force myself to finish watching) who speaks as if he has a mouthful of dirt, delivers lines that make no sense. And while it's obvious that money was saved by having a trained chimp write the screenplay, that money didn't go into special effects. What's with the gratuitous use distortion to cover up the horrible Grendel costume? *Sigh* I can't recommend this movie to anyone, let alone someone who is fond of the poem Beowulf. Unless you liked Highlander Endgame or Mortal Kombat, but I'll leave it at that before I get all jaded and cynical. Oh. Wait. *Shakes head*

The pits

[Luuk-2 · 1/10 · 12 February 2001]

Every now and then a movie comes along and you wonder ‘Why did they bother'? This film is so absurd and so god-awful that I would recommend everyone to stay away from it. Whatever you do, an hour and half can be spent better than watching this movie. It uses the barest of outlines from the Old English epic of the monster and dragon slayer Beowulf, moves it into a kind of never-never future and what you end up with is no story at all, guys wearing vaguely medieval harnesses, fighting with swords, yet smoking fags between rounds and advanced enough to live in a mechanical castle with gaslight and elevators. A few skimpily dressed females who cannot act are showing more than you want to see, and special effects that are so bad a rubbery Godzilla would be more entertaining. Did I mention a sprinkling of gratuitous violence? Brrr.

Nice crap.

[XiBe · 2/10 · 5 May 1999]

Christophe Lambert once said he was still making movies only to make good and easy money. When I see his latest releases, I can believe that.

Beowulf is, all in all, in the "good" part of the crap movies : there are some good thrill scenes, indeed. The actors themselves aren't too bad. But the plot is silly, the "Mortal Kombat"-like music has nothing to do here, the ending is really s****y...

Really, the only good thing about it is that me and my friends could laugh about how uninteresting it was. I even wish I wasted my money on something else.

It Sucked....

[AJCrowley · 1/10 · 25 October 2001]

never in my film watching existence have i seen such a load of old toss.

Lambert should be ashamed of this one, with such obvious body doubles doing the acrobatics in his place it looked totally awful.

some really good ideas at the start, regressive future earth, steam punk style, but after that it just degenerated into dross.

nothing redeeming about this film whatsoever.

Worst movie ever!

[nero371 · 1/10 · 11 May 2003]

This was the worst movie I have ever seen, and I have see some bad ones in my day. Special effects were terrible, the techno music does not fit the time period very well, and the weapons were just retarded. I could have written a better movie because I have actually read the book unlike the writers of this piece of crap. Never watch this movie unless you want to rip your eyes out.

Not Bad For Its Type!!!

[zardoz-13 · 7/10 · 7 September 2013]

Before he directed "Alien Nation" with James Caan, Graham Baker helmed the first feature-length film about the legendary Danish warrior of antiquity named Beowulf. Appropriately entitled "Beowulf," this estimated $3.5 million medieval fantasy adventure set in the distant but undetermined future after a presumed apocalypse generates an adequate amount suspense and action. People who have perused the poem and passionate about it will probably revile this actioneer with a techno-musical soundtrack. Audiences that don't care about liberties being taken with venerable literary material may have a greater appreciation for this low-brow but entertaining spin on the classic. Nothing in the way of modern conveniences remains, and everybody dresses in leather or lace as if they lived in the 8th century. Basically, you've got "Mad Max" clashing with "Excalibur." The weapons reflect the influence of an advanced society, and Hrothgar's unique castle is eye-catching. Leading man Christopher Lambert of the "Highlander" franchise appears on horseback with a peroxide blond coiffure. He is a warrior who knows a thing or two about combat. Cast as the eponymous hero, Lambert benefits from a memorable entrance into the action. He rides up to a perimeter established by an opposing kingdom as these brutes are about to cut a poor woman in two pieces. The site of a giant chopping table with a huge straight-razor poised over it gives you some idea what to expect from this swashbuckler. Lambert plays the pugnacious hero with his usual taciturnity and gimlet-eyed expressions. Surely, somebody stunted for Lambert because I don't for a moment believe that he could execute all those elaborate back-flips. After he slays a score of warriors, Beowulf convinces the opposition to release the poor girl who fled from the castle allow him passage so he can visit King Hrothgar (Oliver Cotton of "Firefox") and help him with his monstrous problem. Hrothgar's daughter Kyra (Rhona Mitra of "Underworld 3") looks pretty fetching in those tight outfits. As Grendal's mother, Layla Roberts is just as seductive and her transformation scene during the finale is worth checking out. Future "Tomorrow Never Dies" Bond villain Götz Otto plays the stalwart Roland who wields a big sword. A monster prowls 'the Outpost' as Hrothgar calls his castle. Lurid sex works its way into the Mark Leahy & David Chappe screenplay as Grendal's mom appears initially as a succubus to King. Beowulf behaves like a bittersweet hero and rejects Kyra's initial passes. The film replicates events that occurred in the ancient poem. Grendal's severed arm hanging from the ceiling is one such example. Leahy and Chappe depict the demise of Grendel's son and death of his mother, but they didn't have enough dough to depict the encounter with the dragons. I don't think that I have ever seen anybody shove a sword into their victim and twist it with the hilt. "Beowulf" cannot compare with later versions of the Anglo-Saxon poem, but it is superior to the usual run of this stuff.

I liked it... I think

[DonJohn80 · 5/10 · 22 January 2007]

This was my first exposure to Beowulf, so I didn't find my views of the film coloured by the closeness (or lack thereof) of the plot or anything of that sort. Just had to point that out since I find peoples reviews of adaptations are usually heavily based on source material. First thing I want to point out is that the "futuristic setting" barely comes into play. If you're expecting a big sci-fi film, or avoiding the film because of the sci-fi you should know that the only real futuristic elements are a high tech telescope, a castle that doesn't even look like anything, and the pizza cutter of doom wielded by one of the extras. I suppose the soundtrack gives it a sci-fi type feel, since it makes use of a lot of techno. Unfortunately I found the soundtrack quite uneven. Some of it was good and suited to the scene, some of it was so bad I turned on subtitles and muted my TV. Most of the soundtrack just had me thinking "do I know this song or did they just rip off a song I know?" The music wasn't the only uneven thing though, some of the acting in this film was atrocious. Lambert manages to keep his wry charm, Rhona Mitra was quite impressive, and Layla Roberts was good at what little she had to work with. Everyone else ran the spectrum from mediocre (the king... was he a king... I was kinda lost on that) to something that looked like the role was filled by the first hobo they could find (the assistant weapons master). Fight choreography was sadly lacking, so don't expect an awesome action flick. The monsters were kind of lame, so don't count on oohing and aahing at the effects. In truth, this film had the potential to be very great as a bad film but the few descent actors and good bits to the soundtrack raised the bar so it was mostly just bad. Personally, I like Christopher Lambert and I like bad movies, so I liked it... just not as much as I could have with a bit of tweaking.

A late '80s action flick from the late '90s

[mikko_kuusirati · 10/10 · 1 September 2006]

Honestly, without looking at the production details, I would never have guessed this film wasn't made in the eighties. It's so eighties I feel it perfectly epitomizes the beloved "'80s action B-movie" genre despite being made a full decade too late. And knowing the extremes B-movies actually from the eighties can go to, that's saying A LOT.

It has Chris Lambert playing Billy Idol in a long black leather coat playing Beowulf; Rhona Mitra, "The original model behind Lara Croft in Tomb Raider!"; the kind of ingenious/insane mix of pseudo-medieval, post-apocalyptic and modern fashion and technology I haven't seen since Knights (and that's another one for the B-movie history books); a rather nice, if forgettable, techno soundtrack; more somersaults than you can shake a lever-action clockwork sword at; and Grendel's HOT MOMMA!

I think Beowulf would have approved. It gets the attitude right, and that's what counts - to quote the poem, Chapter IX, "Me thus often the evil monsters/ Thronging threatened. With thrust of my sword,/ The darling, I dealt them due return!" (The full text of Beowulf is available at http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~beowulf/ )

And, by the way, let's not forget that dirty little chuckle Lambert has perfected. I loved it when he played Raiden in Mortal Kombat, and I absolutely love it here.

Christopher Lambert is a GOD (Well sort of, in a movie)

[Angel-Face · 6/10 · 5 July 2001]

Beowulf is just one of those movies... I rented it because I had read and studied the poem and found it to be interesting. I wasn't expecting much from this, but this was just bad. Set in England about 1400 years ago there is a castle being attacked by a horrible creature. A mysterious hero then arrives in an attempt to save the day. Normal story, right? Well throw in a handful of present day slang with American accents, some bizarre weapons beyond belief, let alone for the time (I'm surprised nobody pulled out a Baretta) and then Beowulf, a demon/god(Christopher Lambert). Lambert was perfectly typecast for this role, much like Raiden in Mortal Kombat. Other than Lambert fitting the role however aside from a few nice graphics/special effects, the movie had virtually nothing going for it. It wasn't that entertaining to watch and frankly I'd recommend skipping this one.

Worst film ever !

[Indigo512 · 1/10 · 6 July 2001]

I watched that film because I thought could be a nice fantasy-film, the beginning was really nice but after a few minutes it started getting bad.. The worst special-effects I have ever seen.. If it had been a comedy-film it would have been really good.. And I thought Omega Doom is the worst movie ever..

No more words, just watch it and laugh...