What have they done to the saga of the misunderstood lonely neighborhood hairy forest giant and his cranky mom? Where has the Neandertaloid gone in this tale of a dying, soon-to-be extinct group of humanlike beings?

Coming this November, Beowulf is re-invented for the screen beyond the epic remembrances many of us share of this legend.

I really doubt the filmmakers have followed my line of thinking that Grendel was a surviving true giant, near Neandertal, or perhaps even a relict form of Homo heildelbergensis.

Nevertheless, the film is made in a fashion that makes it appear similar to 300 (out on DVD on July 31st), and mirrors that film’s artistic cinematic adventure but with dragons. There seems much to enjoy for fans of the genre. Angelina Jolie as the mother of Grendel may be more attractive that my imagined images of Grendel’s parent when I first read the tale, but nevermind my biases.

I’m not sure what the promise really is, but the promise this movie will be a financial success for the producers seems inescapable.

Released this last weekend, the trailer was shown at Comic-Con 2007:

What have they done with the epic tale of ancient Europe’s last Homo heildelbergensis? See the Grendel entry, The Field Guide to Bigfoot and Other Mystery Primates, pages 86-87.