Shakespeare's works have been updated for the big screen numerous times. From MacBeth to Ten Things I Hate About You, filmmakers have tried to turn his masterpieces of stage writing into great films. Some succeed. Some others, however, turn out like "O."
If my girlfriend hadn't held my arm as I tried to stand up, I would have left the theater about 40 minutes into this unbearable adaptation. Okay, fine, the filmmaker tried to stay as true to Shakespeare's original plot and characters as possible. That alone is admirable. But when you realize that staying true to the original play prevents you from making a decent movie, wouldn't you just move on to a different project? Say, one that doesn't seem contrived and trite the entire time?
I know we live in an age of teen angst and insecurity (heck, every age is probably such) but how are we supposed to believe that a jealous teenager (Hugo) would embark on such a manipulative mission of sneakiness, and find the willing help of a conveniently placed red-headed geek who is willing to do his bidding? He launches his plot by manipulating people to do things to upset other people. Hugo tells his friend Michael that Michael can get back in good favor with their friend Odin by getting closer to Odin's girl. "Um, okay. That makes sense to me. If I hang out with his girl more, Odin will understand that I really want to be his friend." A character that dumb deserves to be shot.
Again, maybe in Shakespeare's original play, this kind of plotting and scheming didn't seem so far fetched. Maybe it sounds better when it's soldiers and dukes and princesses and slaves that are battling for affection and speaking their lines in Shakespeare's eloquent dialect. But it transferred poorly to this modern adaptation.
And I got the feeling that not one of the actors was ever doing more than reciting lines. I never felt they were acting. I never thought Julia Stiles was anybody but Julia Stiles. Odin was just Mekhi Pfifer. And Josh Hartnett was just horrible. And it felt like the director slept through the whole process.
I can proudly say that this is the worst movie I've seen all summer (and that's a summer that includes debacles like Planet of the Apes and Pearl Harbor). It should have been left alone in its classic setting, with its classic dialogue, and its classic characters. I believe there is such a version out there somewhere, starring Laurence Fishburne. That must be a much better experience, but I wouldn't expect all you MTV junkies to watch anything with stars that are over 28 years old.
If my girlfriend hadn't held my arm as I tried to stand up, I would have left the theater about 40 minutes into this unbearable adaptation. Okay, fine, the filmmaker tried to stay as true to Shakespeare's original plot and characters as possible. That alone is admirable. But when you realize that staying true to the original play prevents you from making a decent movie, wouldn't you just move on to a different project? Say, one that doesn't seem contrived and trite the entire time?
I know we live in an age of teen angst and insecurity (heck, every age is probably such) but how are we supposed to believe that a jealous teenager (Hugo) would embark on such a manipulative mission of sneakiness, and find the willing help of a conveniently placed red-headed geek who is willing to do his bidding? He launches his plot by manipulating people to do things to upset other people. Hugo tells his friend Michael that Michael can get back in good favor with their friend Odin by getting closer to Odin's girl. "Um, okay. That makes sense to me. If I hang out with his girl more, Odin will understand that I really want to be his friend." A character that dumb deserves to be shot.
Again, maybe in Shakespeare's original play, this kind of plotting and scheming didn't seem so far fetched. Maybe it sounds better when it's soldiers and dukes and princesses and slaves that are battling for affection and speaking their lines in Shakespeare's eloquent dialect. But it transferred poorly to this modern adaptation.
And I got the feeling that not one of the actors was ever doing more than reciting lines. I never felt they were acting. I never thought Julia Stiles was anybody but Julia Stiles. Odin was just Mekhi Pfifer. And Josh Hartnett was just horrible. And it felt like the director slept through the whole process.
I can proudly say that this is the worst movie I've seen all summer (and that's a summer that includes debacles like Planet of the Apes and Pearl Harbor). It should have been left alone in its classic setting, with its classic dialogue, and its classic characters. I believe there is such a version out there somewhere, starring Laurence Fishburne. That must be a much better experience, but I wouldn't expect all you MTV junkies to watch anything with stars that are over 28 years old.