Beowulf. Utter that name and you'll likely hear sighs and moans from those who have braved its Old English-clad pages.

This weekend, however, you'll also hear enthusiastic cheer and a few "can't waits" from comic book geeks and action movie lovers, as the latest film adaptation of ancient epic poem - which has kept many a high schooler asleep through English class - hits theaters.

The heroic poem tells the story of a hero of the Geats who fights Grendel, a monster attacking the Danish mead hall called Heorot and its inhabitants, and then Grendel's mother, who is after revenge.

In the poem's second half, Beowulf returns to Geatland (Sweden) and becomes king, until an unnamed dragon kills him.

Its influence is unquestionable. It's the classic story of good triumphing over evil - maybe the first such story. And it has been adapted for the screen before, though many are unaware of that. But Friday's Paramount Pictures release, directed by Robert Zemeckis, promises to be different. Shot using an up and coming movie technique, the film is a sort of digital animation, using real - and in this case, big name - actors as cartoon-like characters. (If you saw "300" you know.) It's digital 3-D and it's got everyone talking.

But while some of those comic book geeks might be going to "Beowulf" just for that, they're still going to get the story, and that left me wondering if this was just another chance to make a fantasy movie or if it might have some literary value.

To find out, we asked three local college professors who are very familiar with the poem to weigh in. (The interviews were done separately by phone.)

While the academic crowd is debating the benefits of taking great literature and turning it into a cartoon, some hope it might - just maybe - get people interested.

Hey, it worked for "Lord of the Rings," right?

THE PROFESSORS:

Michael Drout, associate professor of English at Wheaton College, Norton and a J.R.R. Tolkien expert. (Tokien, "LOTR" author, was the first to examine "Beowulf" for its literary merits.)

John Sexton, assistant Professor of English, Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater. ("I've taught it every semester for the last five or six years.")

Jeff Skillings, English professor at Dean College, Franklin. ("I know Beowulf fairly well.")

Sun Chronicle: Initial reactions to making this movie? Drout: It's going to be all wrong; it doesn't always follow the poem. But it suggests there's positive feeling about "Beowulf," which is great, because I've been trying for 15 years to convince people of that.

Skillings: I'm definitely going to see it and there are reasons why I do want to see it. The only concern I have is that I hope it doesn't turn it into a cartoon. I can respect the special effects you will get from it.

SC: Why do you think someone would want to make a film from "Beowulf"?

Sexton: It's the only true Anglo-Saxon epic that survives. For that reason, a lot of scholars spend a lifetime studying it. And it's a classic. It's a complicated story, but when you boil it down, it's the heroes against the monsters.

Skillings: Well, "Beowulf" is a bit of a dry read. A tough read. It does take some effort. But it's a great book. I think it's important we have books and movies that show us the battle between good and evil, and I think "Beowulf" shows us that. Beowulf has to do some pretty tough things to win. He has to be willing to kill the monster and he has to be prepared to die. There's something noble about that sacrifice. It's an old story, good over evil and the human effort. I think we need more movies like that.

Sexton: There's been a long and growing tradition of "Beowulf" on film, and to some degree, it has to do with Tolkien's interest in "Beowulf." As "Lord of the Rings" has become more in the public eye, there's all this interest.

SC: Why do you think they made it in this digital animation? What do you think that will do the story?

Drout: I think it's going to be a good Hollywood, exciting action movie. The reason to go to this movie is the excitement level of it. It's taken all the bits of "Beowulf" that are exciting and violent and remarkable to see and kept those in there. The (animation) will give it a good look, and an interesting landscape to the details of the armor and the swords. It's got a dragon, and you really can't go wrong with a dragon. And I don't know what the alternatives were. The "Lord of the Rings" movies showed you could have good interaction between characters and computer generated monsters. But it wasn't the kind of action you're going to have with Grendel and the dragon. I'm glad they picked one world and stayed with it.

Sexton: Putting it in animation, you can make the story a bit more than it could be. The text does give you real descriptions, but there's a lot that's left to your imagination.

SC: Obviously, they've condensed the story and changed parts of it. Do you think that will take away from the story?

Skillings: Anyone putting the movie out wants to make a few bucks on it. They're going to attract people who aren't in love with the book. And not too many people are in love with the book.

Drout: A lot of the action in the poem is developed by long, eloquent speeches, and I don't know how well that would have gone. They've tightened it up a great deal, which will make it more appealing to movie audiences.

SC: Do you think this movie could reverse the curse of "Beowulf," meaning do you think people may be more interested in reading it? And, do you think it could be a substitute for reading the poem?

Sexton: I don't know how many high schools are going to have their students see it. It's a very violent poem and it's fairly descriptive. You wonder how many younger people will be able to or should see it. There's definitely a renewed interested, and academics are split on this type of thing. I think anything that gets people reading "Beowulf" is a good thing. Anything that gets them interested can't be bad.

Drout: Despite its terrible reputation, the poem is really good and really exciting. It will get people interested and wanting to know more about the time period and background. I would never say, though, show it in your high school class instead of reading the poem. That would be a mistake. I have some colleagues who are totally furious and think they'll have to spend all their time unteaching the movie. But people are very interested in the problems "Beowulf" discusses. It says there's a price you pay for being a hero.... I think that's a very relevant topic to be discussing right now.

REBECCA KEISTER can be reached at 508-236-0336 or at rkeister@thesunchronicle.com.