Beowulf
USA 1998. Director: Graham Baker
Cast: Christopher Lambert, Rhona Mitra, Götz Otto

I admit. I confess. I stand accused for enjoying Christopher Lambert movies. I even sort of enjoyed Fortress 2. However, this weird movie, about a blond knight sent by a higher force to fight an evil demon named Grendel ("conceived at the height of a victorious bloodshed") who plagues a castle, I didn't enjoy so much. It has a dirty medieval/post-apocalypse feeling, bloody battle scenes, sword fights, monsters, funny weapons, funny hats, funny haircuts and a godsend discovery in Rhona Mitra. Lambert is an okey hero. He can't act, that's not an overstatement. But being a hero in these movies isn't about acting. It is only about getting the job done so the public can put their confidence in him to straighten things up. To kick the monster's ass. And Lambert does that fair enough, so the film ought to be fair enough as well. But it isn't really. Perhaps it is the misplaced computer-game music that bothers me. Perhaps it is the unintelligible direction or sometimes completely worthless CG effects. Or perhaps it is just plain bad. Fans of Lambert will see it regardless and unfortunately I'm one of them. From the director of Alien Nation, by the way.