Why Watch? Because the combination of animation, experiment, and Welles is a palpable one. In 1977, experimental filmmaker Larry Jordan used work from 19th century French artist Gustave Doré and the thunderous tones of Orson Welles to bring Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s most famous epic poem to life. It’s a potent story of a sea captain who kills an albatross while on the ocean and pays a hefty penalty. But chances are that you already knew that, having had to memorize it for freshman English class in high school. The version here, which is more than a bit different from Raúl daSilva’s 1975 take, is surreal at times but also direct. The engravings are wonderful, but there’s no denying that Welles is the star. What does it cost? Just 40 minutes of your time. Check out The Rime of the Ancient Mariner for yourself:

Though the beginning was a touch weak, the movie gets better and better as the story progresses.

Despite the flaws that keepBeowulf from being a nearly great film, at the end of the day you have to give Robert Zemeckis a pat on the back.

We hear that 3D glasses give some people headaches. So, in order to dull the pain, we offer the Beowulf drinking game. Toast a glass of mead (or Coors Light, for all we care) with the Danish warriors.

Beowulf has everything you’d need for a great motion picture. It has a great story, an awesome conflict, incredible actors and all of Hollywood’s digital technology thrown behind it. The biggest stumbling block it has is its director.