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7

I'll be damned if "Villain, I have done thy mother." is not the greatest line that Shakespeare ever wrote.

Who knew Shakespeare cracked Yo Momma jokes back in the day?

12

This film can be accused of many things, but lacking ambition it will never be one of them. As a result of her Spiderman play disaster, Julie Taymor has become synonymous with creative genius, yet a lack of control, which, when well executed, can result in an opulent and wonderfully epic version of one of Shakespeare's least discussed plays. In contrast, when the director overdoes it, the result is a catastrophe that borders on incomprehensible. In this case, both sides are fighting for supremacy.

Anthony Hopkins excels in this film, showing his great talents as a dramatic, theatrical actor, while at the same time operating at 15 and that is just beautiful to watch. We need more movies where the…

1

Me: I know this Shakes adaptation came out in ’99, but it’s a period piece. It couldn’t POSSIBLY be indicative of the year 1999.

The Movie: cut to a bleached blonde, rave-leather overalls wearing Matthew Rhys listening to industrial techno while playing Road Rash in his man-dungeon.

Me: ok you win.

9

Julie Taymor is in Epstein’s little black book. Two work phones and her home & cell numbers.

Review by Brian Rowe ★★★★

It’s messy and bizarre and too long and wildly irreverent and you know what, sometimes all of that and more make a pretty mesmerizing movie experience. I saw this once in high school and couldn’t really make sense of it. Now I see it for the huge swing of an artistic achievement it is, Julie Taymor unwilling to play it safe and instead go for broke with an amazing ensemble cast, impressive Oscar-nominated costumes, gorgeous cinematography and production design, and often gripping storytelling.

Review by nick ★★★★½ Liked

Feels like a true art piece that was way too avant-garde for its time, but never really got the recognition it deserves in current cultural retrospectives. This Shakespeare adaptation is truly astonishing, thriving in its own unique, beautiful, and tragic lane.

In her directorial debut, Julie Taymor delivers a bold, innovative take on Shakespeare’s gory tragedy, channeling a post-modern approach with both visceral and heartfelt convictions. Taymor’s theater background shines through, allowing her to handle this multi-layered odyssey with a sense of playfulness and humor that’s almost never found in the genre. It’s remarkable how she maintained her vision and transgressive style in a big-budget Hollywood production while guiding an ensemble cast filled with great stars, most of whom also thrive in the theater world.

The film may be longer than it needed to be, but art is imperfect, much like the faults in our humanity. Highly recommended.

Review by Wood ★★★★ Liked

I love that Shakespeare shit, but I really love that wacky Shakespeare shit.

2

In my very humble opinion, this is the best Shakespeare adaptation of the last thirty or so years save for maybe Kenneth Branagh's 1996 Hamlet. The cast is excellent, the soundtrack is gloriously garish, bombastic and eclectic and quite possibly Goldenthal's best, and the story is at once ludicrous and sobering and remains highly relevant in today's active and tragic lifestyles. Not to mention that the visual aesthetic and production design are absolutely to die for here and Julie Taymor does an impeccable job of using an old story to push the conventional filmmaking narrative to its absolute limit in of execution and rationality (shame she never did anything this brilliant again when it comes to her cinematic career). All in all, a glorious adaptation and a beautifully fucked up little parable for humanity. It's a shame that Steve Bannon was involved with this, though. A real fucking shame.

1

Julie Taymor has what Baz Lurhmann wants

Review by DrChristmas ★★★½

I have no idea how to feel about this movie. It was...certainly a thing to behold.

1

The best Shakespeare adaptations are, of course, true to the bard but also involve some sort of X-factor, some unforgettable element.

And as far as X-factors go, I'm biased not toward the fidelity of Olivier or Zefferelli but more toward the styles of Kurosawa or Branagh, who take Shakespeare and turn the volume up to "11."

Of course, this film takes Shakespeare and turns the volume up to "holy fuck."

Review by Nea Ching(y) ★★★★★ Liked

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.