Before English teachers everywhere rush their students off to the theater to soak up this latest incarnation of a literary giant, there are three things to say:
1) The film has very little to do with the book. For one thing, the poem's Christian overlay (Beowulf often credits God for his heroic exploits) is all but replaced by backhanded slaps at Christianity onscreen.
In the book, Grendel and his Mother are said to be offspring of Cain, who was cursed by God as recorded in Genesis. That's not in the movie.
And Beowulf doesn't "lay" with Grendel's mother in the original, either. Instead, he slays her with a sword made by a race of giants—wiped out, apparently, in the Flood.
And when Beowulf confronts the dragon, in the book, he's confronting his own mortality in a particularly splashy way—not his own misbegotten son.
So anyone who uses this film as a sort of Cliffs Notes is bound to get all the questions wrong on the semester test.
The Golden Compass
Released in Australian Theatres in December 2007
Mild Fantasy Violence and some scenes that may frighten small children.
In 2001 New Line Cinema opened the door to middle earth. This December they take you on another epic journey." Unfortunately, that journey was originally scripted by an avowed atheist. The full movie preview opens with the following voice-over "There is a world where witches rule the northern skies, where ice bears are the bravest warriors, where every human is joined with an animal spirit as close to them as their own heart. But the world is dominated by the Magisterium - which seeks to control all humanity and whose greatest threat is a golden compass and the one child destine to possess it."
Phillip Pullman is the author of HIS DARK MATERIALS, the book on which THE GOLDEN COMPASS is based. He's an avowed atheist. He presents the church as "The Magisterium" out to dominate individuals and restrain their "animal spirits." At one point in the preview, his heroine screams out to the Magisterium agent: "I'll never be yours."
One Night with the King
Released in Australian Theatres in November 2007
When a young Jewish orphan girl named Hadassah became the Queen of Persia sometime around 481 B.C., she had no idea that, as Queen Esther, she would be used by God to prevent the extinction of her entire race. It's a story found in the Old Testament Book of Esther, and it's one of the Bible's most treasured sources of inspiration and comfort since it brilliantly illustrates God's divine providence and His personal care and protection for His Chosen People.
Amazing Grace
Released in Australian Theatres in August 2007
On DVD December 2007
This powerful film recounts the celebrated English reformer's fierce battle to abolish slavery in the British Empire. It also chronicles the faith journey of a man who struggled to reconcile his passion for justice and politics with his natural inclination to retreat into a secluded life of spiritual contemplation.
End of the Spear
Released in Australian Theatres in March 2007
Moderate Violence & Themes
Deep in the heart of the jungles of Ecuador, along the Amazon River basin, the Waodani Indians are murdering each other to the point of near-extinction. Tribal conflicts (internal and external) have led to a staggering 60 percent mortality rate, and the average Waodani male lives to be just over 30 years old. In response, the Ecuadorian government plans to send in troops to stop the killings and "reclaim" the land, essentially wiping out the Waodani.
It's the early 1950s and Nate Saint, along with four other young American Christian missionaries, sense the urgency of this crisis and set out to befriend the Waodani people.
Book Reviews & Articles
Don't Be Fooled - The Final Harry Potter Book Still Teaches Witchcraft
Some pundits and critics are snidely noting that the seventh Harry Potter book, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, contains some positive, redemptive references to Jesus Christ, Christianity and the Bible.
For example, Harry finally visits the gravesite of his murdered parents. Marking the gravesite is a New Testament Bible verse from 1 Cor. 15:26, "The last enemy to be destroyed is death." Also, an important scene near the end of the book takes place in King's Cross Station, a reference to Jesus Christ's vicarious atonement on the Cross. Finally, in the end, it becomes clear that it is sacrifice and love that actually defeats Lord Voldemort, the evil villain in the book. Harry thus becomes a kind of Christ figure who is willing to passively surrender his life in order to effectively accomplish this task.
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The Golden Compass
Mild Fantasy Violence and some scenes that may frighten small children.
One Night with the King
Amazing Grace
End of the Spear 
Moderate Violence & Themes
Don't Be Fooled - The Final Harry Potter Book Still Teaches Witchcraft 