What's the best adaptation of Beowulf?

[Olgar Shiverstone]

The ancient tale of Beowulf has been adapted many times across many types of media. What's your favorite or the one you think best?

For me, in print I like what Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle did adapting the story to interplanetary colonization in The Legacy of Heorot. In film I like the Outlander adaptation best, with an honorable mention to The 13th Warrior.

 

[Tonguez]

DC Comics: Beowulf Dragonslayer - whereby the hero Beowulf travels to Daneland in pursuit of the Monster Grendel, and on the way meets Dracula, Atlanteans, Egyptian Aliens, the Minotaur and Satan (He also later meets Wonder Woman)

okay it might not be a very accurate adaption…

 

[deganawida]

Baywolf, by Neil Gaiman. I first read it in a short story collection (Smoke and Mirrors?) in the late ‘90s.

 

[overgeeked]

Seamus Heaney, hands down.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The ancient tale of Beowulf has been adapted many times across many types of media. What's your favorite or the one you think best?

For me, in print I like what Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle did adapting the story to interplanetary colonization in The Legacy of Heorot. In film I like the Outlander adaptation best, with an honorable mention to The 13th Warrior.

I’m a fan of the Niven & Pournelle story and The 13th Warrior.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Serious answer: Seamus Heaney (Sorry JRRT he's a better poet than you).

For the most left field adaptation: Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, from The Jungle Book (Kipling).

 

[Tonguez]

For the most left field adaptation: Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, from The Jungle Book (Kipling).

wait! really?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

wait! really?

Sure, if Beowulf was a mongoose, and Grendel a king cobra.

 

[Andvari]

I thoroughly enjoyed the animated Beowulf from 2007. Interestingly, when I saw it for the first time I expected to see a live-action movie, so I experienced massive uncanny valley for the first 10-20 seconds of watching before realizing it was animated. A demonstration of the powers of confirmation bias and a testament to how good the CGI was for its time.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I thoroughly enjoyed the animated Beowulf from 2007. Interestingly, when I saw it for the first time I expected to see a live-action movie, so I experienced massive uncanny valley for the first 10-20 seconds of watching before realizing it was animated. A demonstration of the powers of confirmation bias and a testament to how good the CGI was for its time.

Yes in my memory that is listed under "stylized live action" rather than CGI, even though looking back the CGI isn't what it could have been.

It's a good adaption.

I agree with Seamus Heaney as the best translation.