What we flagged
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Our take
Beowulf's computer animation can make it look like a family fantasy, but its monsters are frightening and the fights are bloody. Drunken feasts, a naked fight staged around carefully placed objects and a seductive creature add to the adult tone. We would wait until 14.
Uplifting themes
The story warns about pride, secrets, and the cost of chasing glory, although it also makes the fighting look thrilling. Younger viewers may miss the warning Beowulf is brave, but he boasts and takes huge risks to win fame. Other characters are even more flawed, so few people here are good examples for younger viewers to follow Adapts an old English epic poem, which could lead older kids to the original story and to early medieval Scandinavian myth. It is only loosely faithful to the poem
Story (may spoil tone)
A 6th-century Scandinavian warrior named Beowulf embarks on a mission to slay the man-like ogre, Grendel.
What we flagged
Details
Violence A huge creature rips men apart, stomps and impales people, and burns ma…
A huge creature rips men apart, stomps and impales people, and burns many on a bridge, and a dragon battle follows. Sea monsters and sword fights add more blood, and some of it is very graphic for a film aimed at teens
Language Words like damn, hell, and b-word come out in anger and jokes, along wi…
Words like damn, hell, and b-word come out in anger and jokes, along with crude sexual wisecracks and a joke about a male body part. None of it is constant, but the feast scenes get rowdy
Sex / nudity Beowulf fights naked, with objects and angles hiding the key parts, and…
Beowulf fights naked, with objects and angles hiding the key parts, and a seductive woman lures men. Feast scenes bring crude jokes, a song with sexual lyrics, lingering shots of cleavage, and a man's bare buttocks
Drugs / alcohol Heavy mead drinking is everywhere in the feast halls, and characters ge…
Heavy mead drinking is everywhere in the feast halls, and characters get loudly drunk, pass out, and make bad choices. Drinking is treated as part of celebrating
Frightening The monster's attacks are loud, sudden, and gruesome, and its oozing, m…
The monster's attacks are loud, sudden, and gruesome, and its oozing, malformed body and a screaming close-up are upsetting. A dark water cave and a huge fire-breathing dragon add more terror, so younger kids would find it very scary
Bullying / discrimination Warriors taunt and humiliate each other, and a jealous man mocks the he…
Warriors taunt and humiliate each other, and a jealous man mocks the hero at a feast. The put-downs are short, but they set a mean tone in the hall
Gore / death / weapons A man is torn in half with blood flying toward the camera, arrows and s…
A man is torn in half with blood flying toward the camera, arrows and swords cause bloody wounds, and bodies hang from a hall ceiling dripping blood. Torn limbs and a severed head are shown in detail
Grief / bereavement Villagers and warriors mourn friends killed in the attacks, and a heavy…
Villagers and warriors mourn friends killed in the attacks, and a heavy sense of loss hangs over the hall. The king carries long-term sorrow and shame
Flashing lights We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.
We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.
Family watch notes
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Talk after watching
- Beowulf cares a lot about being remembered as a hero. How did that need for glory change what he did?
- Many characters make deals and promises they later regret. Which one do you think caused the most harm?
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Beowulf
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