Visually impressive but lacking in good writing, “Beowulf” is well worth the price of an admission ticket, especially if seen at an IMAX theater in 3-D. Almost a work of art, this film accomplishes visually everything that Zemeckis’ previous crossover attempt, “The Polar Express,” spectacularly failed to achieve. Where “The Polar Express” suffered from characters with inexpressive faces and eyes, the characters from “Beowulf” are often deceptively real looking and remarkably alive. However, like “The Polar Express,” the film suffers from a weak script, poor dialogue, and an unmemorable soundtrack, all of which fail to take the best advantage possible of the source material. Frankly, I expected much better from Neil Gaiman, whose lengthy CV will not be complimented by this script. From a story standpoint, the job was well done. However, individual lines where clumsy and often received huge laughs from the audience when they were clearly not meant to.

Most disappointing was the film’s ineffective use of the orginal source material as inspiration for dialogue. At the begining of the film a skald, or poet-musician, leads a crowd of drunken belching Danes in a chanting song. This was a spectacular idea and would have been the perfect time to set the stage with an alliterative, rhythmic chant that follows that pattern of the original poem. However, Gaiman opted for a sing-songy, Dr. Seuss style rhyme in ballad meter, which gave the scene the comical feel of a children’s nursery rhyme rather than the frenzied poetry of a tribe celebrating its victory in battle. The effect was inappropriately modern, and it collided with the painstaking visual adherence to early medieval Scandinavian dress and architecture.

Another poor source-inspired decision was the accent utilized by Grendel and, to a lesser degree, his mother. The two speak the modern English words of the script with an Old English accent, making many of their lines completely unintelligible, even to a trained ear. Even simple words like ‘I,” pronounced “Ich” in ye olden dayes of yore, are difficult to make out when spoken clearly, but they are blurred and utter lost thanks to Grendel’s insipid whimpering. Angelina Jolie’s accent sounds more like a carnival gypsy, which fails to really deliver the exotic sound it was meant to achieve. It would have been better if their speaking style had been consistent, particularly with regard to Grendel, so that he could have been understood. This would have helped him be more terrifying rather than repugnant, as his babbling and whiny rage diminish him from a frightening demon to a pathetic, misshapen creature with a physical disability and anger management issues. The original poem depicted Grendel as quite a terrorist– a powerful and greedy monster who took delight in murder and extracting fear from the people he tormented. Now he’s just a really ugly poster child for unmedicated sociopaths.

The film contains a few passing condemnations of Christianity, a puzzling and irrelevant addition to the film’s plot, and one that utterly contradicts the original spirit of the poem, which saw no incompatibility between Christian and pagan teachings on salvation, justified battle and the vileness of murder. This misguided decision only perpetuates the myth that the rise of Christianity in the middle ages somehow destroyed all that was good about pagan Europe. To the contrary; Beowulf has always stood as an example of the remarkably forward thinking blend of pagan and Christian that existed in the Germanic and Nordic societies outside the influence of the areas of Europe that were most heavily touched by Roman customs.

Plot twists have been added for the sake of making it a more interesting film, and for the purposes of cinema, they were good decisions. What you end up with is a meditation on how fallible human beings become legends, and the final scenes bring to mind the legends of heroes and prophets the world over. Human weakness contrasts strongly with the immense expectation of perfection demanded of a leader, and Ray Winstone’s performance is truly moving. Whether as a stalwart warrior, a husband, or a king, his portrait of the legendary hero is complex and convincing.

Less impressive is the wooden presence of Robin Wright Penn, whose portrayal of the frigid ice queen Wealthow fails to take advantage of the emotional complexity that her character could have shown. The supporting cast was equally inconsistent, with Anthony Hopkins portraying the wonderfully inconsistent King Hrothgar, a man who fluctuates between bravery and cowardice. John Malkovitch’s performance was irritatingly phlegmatic, but the always-solid Brendan Gleeson turned in a spectacular performance as Beowulf’s loyal thane Wiglaf. Angelina Jolie is . . . well . . . Angelina Jolie. Beautiful, seductive, and the embodiment of sexuality, she performs as expected but her star power proved a detraction rather than a benefit, as her visual portrayal was too human and lifelike to convince viewers of the ancient and otherworldly origin of her character. Her appearance was disjointedly modern, from her too-familiar face to her golden high heels.

For all its deficiencies in script and performance, from a visual effects and artistic standpoint “Beowulf” is a spectacular achievement, and one that deserves attention. The flaws of motion-capture CG seem to have finally been worked out, allowing for truly well-acted animation. Camera angles, creative use of 3-D imagery, and a lush color palate make this a visual treat, and enthusiasts of costuming history will not be disappointed by the rich and detailed accuracy of the characters’ wardrobes. This film seems likely to usher in a new genre of hybrid filmmaking that can present infinite possibilities, particularly for the fantasy and science fiction genre. My one complaint from a visual design standpoint was the ludicrous decision to have Beowulf fight Grendel in the nude, but then engage in silly Austin Powers-ish gimmicks to keep his genitals covered with strategically placed helmets and body parts obscuring the camera’s view. If it was that important to secure a PG-13 rating, it would have been much better to simply have Beowulf wear a pair of shorts. It certainly would have been less comical and distracting.

“Beowulf” is a worthy action film that offers an interesting twist on the original legend. It revives and reinvents the granddaddy of all English literature and delivers it with gorgeous visual imagery and very effective art direction. However, should you ever buy the DVD, it may be better to just turn down the volume and play the audio book version of the Seamus Heaney translation of the poem rather than listening to the film’s dialogue while you watch.