Remember when "Toy Story" blew everyone's minds back in '95 with its amazing fully-computer generated format?  Well folks, times are a-changin' and the latest fully CGI movie (that stands for "Computer Generated Image", for those not in the know) by the name of "Beowulf" is a testament to just how far the art-form has progressed.

Director extraordinaire, Robert Zemeckis ("Back to the Future", "Forrest Gump") returns to his motion-capture method after the super-successful "Polar Express" by having actual actors don motion-capture suits to digitally track every movement and nuance.  The results, however, are somewhat of a mixed bag as certain shots seem almost photo-realistic while others come off as if they were rendered for a video game.  Give the technology another ten years and I'm betting Hollywood's highest paid actors will start to sweat when they realize they can easily be replaced by computer-generated versions of themselves for half of their outrageous salaries.

For those who slept during English Lit. class, "Beowulf" is one of the oldest stories ever told.  The classic yarn tells the tale of a small village terrorized by a hideous, blood-thirsty monster by the name of Grendel.  After the monster attacks during a celebration, leaving an unmerciful massacre in its wake, the village's king (played by Anthony Hopkins) seeks the aid of a legendary hero by the name of Beowulf to rid his kingdom of its curse.  Once he arrives, Beowulf finds himself pitted not only against the ruthless monster, but his entrancing yet demonic mother (played by an ultra-realistic Angelina Jolie).

Let me just note that even though this movie is fully CGI, this is in no way suitable for the kiddies.  Numerous people are killed in increasingly brutal and gory ways and nudity is also on vivid display more than a few times.  Since I haven't taken the plunge into investing in a plasma screen television as of yet, it was a special treat to watch this movie on a friend's brand new 47-inch plasma complete with a state-of-the-art 5.1 digital surround sound presentation (my apologies to his wife if her sleep was in any way interrupted, which I'm sure it was).  The picture was as crisp and vivid as I have ever seen and the soundtrack was equally impressive. In conclusion, this movie is a must for anyone looking to test the quality of their big screen TVs and a solid recommendation based on the movie alone.  I actually lost count of how many times my friend and I said "Wow!" based upon the jaw-dropping visuals - and that even included the scenes without the digital Angelina Jolie.

4 out of 5 stars

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