Beowulf

Once the new Beowulf movie hits theaters, how many high school students are going to read the epic poem? One might argue that the explosions, violence and sexy Angelina Jolie might prompt an interest in reading the actual poem. That won't happen. The poem isn't delivered in splashy fashion. I suspect it will be hard for kids to see the parallels between the movie and poem. I also think it is unlikely that this generation of kids picks up a book after seeing a good movie about it. I cannot begrudge them for that. Whichever you see/read second, is the medium that is usually less satisfying. I have one exception: Gone With The Wind. I saw the movie first and read the book second, and the book was still infinitely better. Actually, Roots falls into that category as well. The real reason the Beowulf movie won't generate student interest in the poem? The poem isn't very interesting. It has historical significance, but it isn't a good read.