Rating: 
Summary: Excellent
Review: This movie was so well done that it got me hooked on Shakespear's comedies. This movie is an excellent interpretation of the orrigional play. The acting was brilliant and made the movie hilarious. The scenery was also very beautiful. It was an all together well done movie that is funny, classy, and entertaining. I reccommend it highly and hope you rent it tonight.
Rating: 
Summary: A sparkling and beautiful rendition
Review: Kenneth Branagh's treatment of "Much Ado About Nothing" is crisp, clear, witty, and beautiful throughout. Branagh mixes the classicly trained actors of England with new American talent (Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves) with surprisingly little difficulty. Though Washington is at times too smoothly American to pull off the role, the ensemble is cohesive and believable in most instances. Reeves' woodenness serves him well in his role; he plays the scowling villian fairly well, displaying effort much less often than Jack Lemmon in Branagh's Hamlet. Michael Keaton takes us back to his Beetlejuice days in his cameo appearance, but it fits well and adds humor to an already humorous performance. The sparks between Branagh and Emma Thompson are obvious and enjoyable, expanding on the connection they had developed during the making of Henry V. Overall, this is an immensely enjoyable movie for Shakespeare aficionados and novices alike; understandable without being heavily obvious, this movie should stand the test of time as one of Branagh's best treatments of the master playwright.
Rating:
Summary: Let's Calm Down
Review: Kenneth Branagh is one of the best things to come along as far as those of us who like Shakespeare are concerned. I loved his *Hamlet* and *Henry V*, but when it comes to *Much Ado About Nothing*, I prefer to abandon exclamation marks. Having said this, the opening scene of the incoming horses and the women (left home by the war) leaping into baths to look their best captures perfectly the heart of the play: this is a world where men and women have been apart, and where they must learn to trust each other again. But it's so much easier not to trust. There's nothing like a war to bring out male bonding. Don Pedro believes his evil brother Don John over the chaste and blameless Hero even though Don Pedro *knows* Don John is a liar and a villain. Claudio is convinced his Hero ("any man's hero") is unchaste on evidence that wouldn't hang a dog. Claudio's brilliant idea of humiliating her at their wedding had me squirming in my seat (it always does). Meanwhile, tests of trust continue: does Benedick remain true to Beatrice (who is related to Hero), or does he stick with Claudio, one of his best male friends. The choice has real consequences. Beatrice's order to Benedick, "Kill Claudio", is one of the most chlling and central lines in the film. There's also a lot of fun to this film. My favorite extratextual moment is Branagh's battle with a lawn chair (he loses). But I do have an objection (aside from Keanu Reeves, but everyone's already remarked on his poor performance): throughout the film, I felt that Branagh was uneasy with the attention span of his audience. Just do a count of the number of shots that cut up the opening speeches, and you will find that he keeps us busy with camerawork -- not lines. There's no need for this, but once noticed, it quickly becomes annoying. So let's calm down. Yes, Branagh has brought Shakespeare to a new generation. But he still doesn't always trust Mr. Shakespeare language. This film, however, is well worth seeing -- for the opening scenes alone.
Rating:
Summary: Solid and Enjoyable
Review: Kenneth Branagh's always been somewhat contradictory. On theone hand, no one since Olivier has worked so hard to bring Shakespeare's plays to the big screen. And, yes, he's actually made Shakespeare profitable (you don't have to go to the art houses to his films). Of course, this profitability comes at a price. Branagh, deciding to make artistic concessions, sometimes makes some mistakes in casting. Don't take me wrong. I understand that Michael Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Robert Sean Leonard and Denzel Washington help broaden Shakespeare's appeal; at the same time, however, I wish Branagh would find popular actors who could also handle such classic material. Of the actors listed above, only Washington passes the test. Denzel is a talented actor and his status as African-American, Hollywood heartthrob makes for a perfect Don Pedro, the grand overseer of all the revelry and romance. Keaton tries his best, but his caricature of the oafish Dogberry seems like a leftover of Beetlejuice. Keanu Reeves, well, what can I say? Thank God that Don John has very few lines. Leonard, who was obviously cast based on his Midsummer Night's Dream performance in Dead Poets Society, cannot keep pace. Leonard seems out of place in this movie and his performance feels eerily similar to the one in Dead Poets Society--an amateur high school actor stumbling his way through sophisticated adult material. . . Nevertheless, Much Ado is still an excellent movie and I recommend it--at the very least--for Branagh and Thompson. The Tuscany locale is appropriately lusty and lush (lots of those wonderful mauve tones). The opening sequence with the men riding back from battle and the women bathing before meeting them is a whole lot of sensual fun. And when Branagh and Thompson bicker back and forth on the screen, trading insults, the mediocre performances by some of the other cast members will simply fade into the background.
Rating:
Summary: Much Ado About Nothing
Review: Mr. Branagh has done a compelling job on this comedic adaptation of Much Ado. The talent of this director/actor is often under rated; unfairly. The quality of this film in particular leaves the audience feeling good at the conclusion of the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Much Ado is an awesome book i have performed it is good i like it it is fulll of comedy tragedy and romance awesomesly exciting ! Yea! For Shakespeare
Rating:
Summary: Delightful
Review: Well, I started out watching this movie to see Keanu Reeves... and I don't see why he's being slammed on so much. He looks so amazingly sinister, and acts very well. But as I got more involved with the movie, I realized that there's more to see here than just Keanu. Kenneth Branagh was superb as Benedick, not caring at all how he looked, just doing it for the sake of comedy. Emma Thompson also did very well as Beatrice. Denzel Washington was great, and Michael Keaton reminded me so much of the Beetlejuice movie I hate, but that character was perfect. I can't remember his name right now, but the man who gets Hero left something to be desired, however that did not detract from the brilliance of the rest of the cast. As a devotee of Keanu Reeves, I was amazed when I actually found myself wanting to get revenge on his character for that awful trick. The delivery of the lines is flawless, you get so into it that you forget they're even speaking differently than they would every day. The scenery is gorgeous... having been to Italy I immediately recognized the beautiful countryside. In response to someone saying that you could see Benedick in plain sight listening to the music when he was supposed to be hiding, I'm sure they used the main cast as extras both in this scene and in the end when the entire villa is dancing around -- I'm almost positive I saw Keanu dancing with the rest of them. Myself being not so into Shakespeare as some, this is still a movie I would watch over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: Keanu isn't THAT bad...
Review: simply because he is in the film so sparingly. Look at the change in Robert Sean Leonard's face when he thinks Hero is dead...just awful. His crying is pathetic. However, the rest of the movie is simply outstanding. One note: during the time when Benedick is supposed to be hiding and the musicians are playing, if you pay attention when the camera pans around the fountain you will see Benedick, admiring the music in plain sight. Oh who cares. A superb movie!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This is one of Shakespeare's greatest works. Benedick and Beatrice are hysterical as their feelings evolve from hatred to love. The scenes in which they are tricked into believing that the other is in love with them are some of my favorites. I liked this edition of the novel. It's explanations of Elizabethian life made the experience much more enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: a terrific adaptation
Review: The genius of Kenneth Branagh is evident again in this beautiful film. It's so bright and full of life, bursting with joy and exuberance. The cast is superb. Along with Mr. Branagh, there is the lovely and radiant Emma Thompson, the fabulous Denzel Washington, and Keanu Reeves, who with his marvelous voice and talent portrays the evil Don John wonderfully. The additional cast is superb and the cinematography (it was filmed in Tuscany) is glorious. This is one to own and watch repeatedly !
|
