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Dancing_P [ 7.5 ]
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Michael Almereyda transplants Shakespeare’s story to modern-day New York in this extremely clever film. It’s the same story that the Bard wrote years ago: Hamlet (Ethan Hawke) goes half-insane after his uncle (Kyle MacLachlan) kills his father (Sam Shepard) and marries his mother (Diane Venora). This time around, though, Hamlet is a melancholic film buff (woohoo), Denmark is morphed into the Denmark Corporation, messengers are substituted for fax machines and Hamlet’s famous “to be or not to be” is delivered from a Blockbuster video store (!). Your enjoyment of this film will lie solely on your capacity to accept the movie for what it is. A major criticism (by some) of the film is that the actors speak the exact same text that Shakespeare wrote even though the film is set in modern times. It creates a strange effect, one that may turn off viewers. Personally, I think the film is most successful as a conceptual wonder; Almereyda’s visualization of the world is so clever, it almost makes up for the film’s shortcomings, such as Ethan Hawke’s performance, which is highly uneven, and some editing that turns two major characters (Horatio and Ophelia) into supporting players. Speaking of which, the way the play was edited shortens the affair between Hamlet and Ophelia considerably, making their “love” seem rather weak. The casting is great; particular props go out to Bill Murray as Polonius and Julia Stiles as Ophelia. Not for everyone, that’s for sure.
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| Weighted Rating | : 6.8 |
| No. Ratings | : 11 | |
| No. Reviews | : 3 | |
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