“Beowulf,” review by Maitland McDonagh

First and foremost a showcase for the latest developments in motion-capture and 3-D technology, Robert Zemeckis’ take on the ancient tale in verse of men and monsters transforms real actors — including Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, Crispin Glover, John Malkovich and Robin Wright Penn — into waxy-looking, dead-eyed avatars that look as though they belong in a high-end video game. Read more