Hey all this is my first time writing into AICN. If you use this review just call me Trojan Man.

I just got back from an advance 3-D screening of Beowulf at USC tonight and let me just say, wow.

First off, let’s talk about this films biggest “hook,” the CGI. The characters, for the most part, look photorealistic, or at least enough so that the CGI does not detract from the story. Beowulf is by far the best display of computer animation to date. However, did the CGI really add anything to this that live action couldn’t? No, not really.

It felt almost like the CGI was implemented to prove a point, to prove that photorealistic actors could be done, which seems to be Zemeckis’ obsession these days. Instead of contributing to the narrative, it just made me say “wow, that looks almost real.” That’s not necessarily a bad thing though and was definitely cool to see.

Though the CGI is what is most hyped in Beowulf, the real draw is the 3-D presentation. Quite simply, if you live within range of a theater showing this in 3-D, GO SEE IT. No other film has ever developed a quality, immersive, 3-D experience to the level that Beowulf does. The 3-D has depth in both directions. Objects stretch far into the distance and others reach out of the screen toward the audience. But at no point does this ever seem to feel “gimmicky,” but rather serves to pull the viewer deeper into the film.