Starring Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, and Angelina Jolie. Rated 14A.

Hollywood screenwriters are sometimes accused of recycling stories. Although accomplished for their original writing, Neil Gaiman ( Sandman comics, Stardust ) and Roger Avary ( Pulp Fiction, Killing Zoe ) clearly aren't above pinching a plot themselves. But being ambitious and clever, they've pinched Beowulf , one of the earliest tales in the English language.

The script adopts the basic narrative of the poem: the hall of king Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) is attacked by a monstrous warrior, Grendel (Crispin Glover). Beowulf (Ray Winstone), hero of Geatland, dispatches the villain but then must deal with Grendel's mother (Angelina Jolie), a monstrous hag. Claiming to have subdued her as well, Beowulf becomes a king who, in his old age, faces down a dragon.

To modernize the story, Gaiman and Avary have added psychologically plausible connections between the three battles, cruel symmetries to pull at the emotions, and a consciousness of myth to create resonance.

And screaming. And blood–buckets and buckets of blood.

Well, virtual blood. This is director Robert Zemeckis's second foray into all-digital filmmaking. As with The Polar Express , Beowulf employs motion-capture technology to record performances that can be placed into any (in other words, prohibitively expensive if done live) setting. I'm not completely sold on this approach, which still falls short of digitally enhanced (such as any modern action movie) photography for texture, weight, and gesture. As with Final Flight Of the Osiris and The Polar Express , I find myself noticing flaws rather than focusing on what's happening.

Fortunately, what's happening is pretty juicy: boy slays monster, boy meets girl, girl is a demon with prehensile tail. Lots of fun there. The other advantage that Beowulf has over its digital predecessors is acting. Winstone as Beowulf embodies all that is manly (which is to say, aggressive, and not 100-percent trustworthy), Jolie is appropriately otherworldly, and Glover is fantastic as her rude and hungry offspring. This version of Beowulf might not last a thousand years, but it'll get you through two hours in great style.