A thousand years ago, peasants and kings were drawn to the epic and often heroic tales told by bards. Much like modern movie audiences today, these tales, often fantasized, fascinated their listeners and gave a microscopic look at the culture of the medieval period. Today there is no doubt that 21st century America is a vast and very divergent world from that of the writers of early British literature. However, nearly a thousand years after the original stories were written, American culture is still heavily influenced by these early Anglo-Saxon stories of heroism. Contemporary adaptations of these films combine these stories with the thrill of dramatic cinema and the modern ideals of Western culture to tame the overt epic of heroism and appear more “realistic” to the modern viewer. Grendel's attack on Herot in the 2005 film adaptation of the Beowulf epic, Beowulf and Grendel, appears a little more pragmatic than in the native text. Sturla Gunnersson, the film's director, changes key qualities of the medieval characters in both Grendel and Beowulf to portray them as more human versions of their ancient counterparts. Contemporary Grendel appears more like a warrior and less like a monster, while contemporary Beowulf appears less heroic. The original text describes Grendel as nothing more than a monster, a descendant of Cain. Grendel is a product of punishment. He has few human qualities and appears more animalistic in character. It fights like an animal, slaughtering its victims and eating their remains. He maintains no "code of honor" of any kind and attacks his victims while they sleep. This first version of Grendel is described not only as wild in nature but also as monstrous in appearance... at the center of the card... the fight isn't epic, the viewer doesn't see any unimaginable skill when he does it. reaches both opponents. They are simply the same, both ultimately imperfect. The contemporary version of the first text is much more realistic. It takes away the imaginative aspects of the text and creates a more rational version for the 21st century viewer. Modern audiences no longer respond to tales of “perfection and fantasy.” To hold the attention of today's viewers, the film had to tell the ancient narrative while remaining grounded in reality. The film version of Beowulf portrays the story as a more practical historical tale than a sensational fantasy epic. WORKS CITED Gunnarsson, S. (2005). Beowulf and Grendel [film]. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MddPzFIZ9GMHeaney, S. (2008). Beowulf. (pp. vii-260). London: WW Norton & Company, Inc.