Beowulf is the curiosity blockbuster of the week. This is a boy's picture in the spirit of 300 but better. We're in Denmark 700AD, its cold and forbidding but inside the warm Great Hall, there's a feast going on. Hunks of meat are being passed around and much strong mead is being drunk in front of the King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins).

This is all in animation and you're watching the whole experience through 3D glasses (yep, the kind many of you used to get as kids). Interestingly, you've got all the main characters being voiced by A-listers and characters bear resemblance to the actors. Director Bob Zemeckis adopted a similar approach to The Polar Express and many will remember the Hanks character, the train guard was voiced by Hanks and looked like him.

Back to the story, though. Into the affray, comes a giant beast called Grendel. Grendel can't stand the noise and rips a few people apart in his frustration. Perhaps it's a bit of an overreaction from a neighbour but when you see this Danish lot getting pissed, you can see he has a point. If he gets a headache, he can't exactly reach for the Anadin. Anyhow, the King knows that after this savage visit, Grendel must be stopped and he offers a king's ransom to anyone mad enough to take on the evil giant.

Setting his boat aboard the shore, a man called Beowulf (Ray Winstone) confidently leads his men up to a man on a horse, shouting "I am Beowulf and I will kill your monster!" and thus the scene is set. It's something of a David vs Goliath and you're left wondering who's going to win, next time a pained Grendel comes a-calling.

Later, Beowulf will get to meet Grendel's evil-tempting mother (a beautiful-looking Angelina Jolie complete with allure and tail) and from this liaison, secrets will come to light that threaten to undermine the precious community that Beowulf has become a part of.

Beowulf as a film is great entertainment value. The 3D on the whole looks good - you'll enjoy the sight of arrows coming at you and Grendel's mother's sumptuous lair and Grendel the son, makes a fiercesome monster. Beowulf has the voice of Winstone and the looks of Sean Bean, Jolie is pure sexual enticement with her skintight body, stilettos and sexy tail, Hopkins the endearing old King and Malkovich a scheming King's son.

Much of the humour comes either through Beowulf's earthy matter-of-fact proclamations - 'I've come to kill your monster' is akin to a plumber turning up on your doorstep to mend a leak. Malkovich's servant is also funny in a blackly comic way since the poor wretch is always getting beaten and you feel sorry for the meak slave.

Overall, this is a thrilling drama, but your sympathies lie more with the monsters than the slayers. Perhaps the yearning to see more of a sinister side would turn it from the supposedly family entertainment into more of an adult offering, but maybe that wouldn't have been such a bad thing.

For example, it would have been nice to see the violent but sympathetic giant Grendel have more screen time and, later, watch the spawn of Grendel's mother causing more mayhem. What's up there on screen is great, but there could have been a little more flesh on the bone.