The epic eighth-century poem of Saxon lore gets moved into the Scandinavian future in this science fiction adaptation of Beowulf. Here, Beowulf (
Christopher Lambert) rescues a damsel in distress, Pendra (
Patricia Velasquez), who is being menaced by two men with large swords and bad tempers. Beowulf hears tell of Grendel, a force of evil that feasts on the flesh of warriors of Hrothgar (
Oliver Cotton), who are holding their ground in the Outpost. Before long, Beowulf finds himself doing battle with Hrothgar's daughter Kyra (
Rhona Mitra), Hrothgar's master of arms, Roland (Goetz Otto) and even Grendel's mother (Layla Roberts).
Patricia Velasquez appeared in Beowulf shortly before she filmed her showy turn in
The Mummy, while Layla Roberts's resume includes an October 1997 appearance as Playboy's Playmate of the Month. Beowulf was completed and released in Europe before another version of the same story hit the screens, Disney's
The 13th Warrior (aka Eaters Of The Dead). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide