As far as ancient English epic poems go, Beowulf is probably the cockniest – and that’s based on Ray Winstone screaming the word “MONSTAH” in the Beowulf trailer we saw.

But, hey, it seems like Americans like nothing more than computer-generated movies based on ancient English epic poems starring markedly skinnier versions of tubby cockney actors who, admittedly, could still shatter our skulls with one blow of their tiny cockney fists if they wanted to. That’s because the Ray Winstone-starring Beowulf is number one at the US weekend box office – a remarkable achievement for a film that’s basically one long PlayStation 2 videogame cut-scene that was written almost 1,500 years ago. Still, Beowulf’s weekend box office success goes to show that all it takes to bridge the chasm between ancient literature buffs and the young post-MTV generation is Angelina Jolie’s tits and some blood.