Anyone see Beowulf?

[Adrian Laguna]

They take things like traditional hero stories and such and try to "deconstruct it" or turn it on its head. Hence the classic hero becomes a flawed man who dies trying to make up for the mistakes that haunted him his whole life.

I think you're reading too much into what was probably just an attempt at adding some extra drama. Alternatively, you know some sane post-modernists. Because when I think of "pomo Beowulf", I imagine a version where the guy was a closet homosexual transvestite and all the manly-man monster-slaying stuff was just overcompensation.

[RazorOutlaw]

And when I think of pomo I think of adding extra drama to characters that originally didn't do much but bust heads, fight dragons, and drink mead. I think the comment about overcompensation is in the right ball park though at least in terms of the "real reason". Beowulf was an arrogant sonofabitch in the movie and everything he does is an attempt to make himself appear better to his peers.

He's got an ego the size of Texas and he pays for it in the end. I guess you could say the movie is even a little Greek too.