Rating: 
Summary: Spectacular
Review: I have to say that this is my favorite movie as well as book/play. Its about a two lovers who are, somewhat seperated, against their will of course. Also a women obsessed with a man who dislikes her and does not wish to be engaged with her. Both "pairs" go off into a magical forest where a "king" and a "fairy queen", although they are not wed, dwell. The "king" with his "trusty sidekick", Puck obviously are not the fairy queen's best friends. Getting on to the lovers, whom come into the forest and sleep. When asleep, Puck puts a spell on them to love opposite pairs. So the male lover falls for the obsessed women and the other way around for the others. Its hard to explain, but if you watch the movie you think I am a fool for not being able to explain. But you will also think that it is a grand movie, even if you are not too fond of Shakespeare, himself.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Movie
Review: Faeries and satyrs and wood nymphs, oh my! Shakespeare's play is adapted to 19th century Tuscany, featuring the popular new contrivance, the bicycle. On one very special night in the forests and glens outside Tuscany, the romantic pinings of two groups of mortals are toyed with by the spirits that dwell there.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun Fantasy for Sunday Afternoon Viewing
Review: If you're a Shakespearean purist, don't torture yourself by viewing this colorfully engaging version! Some would say that Shakespeare should be presented as written and that one should not take "liberties" with the Bard. Poppycock! Bill Shakespeare was always one for taking "liberties" -- he almost single-handedly created much of the language we speak today. He would probably have enjoyed the concept that modern-day actors and directors would take his works and bring them "alive" for their audiences. The unfortunate reality is, however, that this version falls just short of doing that.Kline and Tucci walk away with the best performances of the film and both help keep the story alive, humorous, and in-keeping with the tongue-in-cheek humor which Shakespeare obviously enjoyed. For someone new to the storyline, especially younger viewers, the not-modern language will get in the way of fully understanding the story. But even my youngest kids get much of the point and enjoy the story. You and yours will too. The show is a fine afternoon view -- allow yourself time to explain some of the obtuse points to your kids as you go. A great movie to keep in your collection. Steven Reis
Rating:
Summary: An Overall Excellent Film
Review: "Much Ado About Nothing " with Kenneth Branaugh is much more true to Shakespeare. However, this film yields good things. Like "Much Ado " it was shot in Tuscany, Italy, the beautiful wood and village scenes taking the place of Shakespeare's original city of Athens. There are a lot of opera songs running throughout the movie, since Italian opera was a hit durin the nineteenth century, and so were LP's and bycycles all of which are featured in the film. It is definately a twist to the original version Shakespeare intended. But it's beautiful to see and hear. Top-notch performances by Calista Flockheart as Helena, Kevin Kline, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Titania the Fairy Queen. There's lots of great comic moments (like the mud fight) and the soundtrack is gorgeous. Must see for Shakespeare fans, or fans of Pfeiffer and Flockheart. I give it a deserving five stars. I viewed it twice and loved the film.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Production, Average Movie
Review: A Midsummer Night's Dream by the great William Shakespear enjoys a reprisal in this lavish American production. The movie's strong points are its rich costumes, beautiful music, and pretty decent acting. However, this is not enough to offset its weak points. These include nearly incomprehensible, and if I may be pardoned for this, phony acents; historical anarchronisms, and the lack of connection between the first part of the movie (the love story) and the second part (the performance of the play at the royal palace). Although the acting is polished, I somehow lacked the feeling of sympathy for the characters: they just did not convince me their emotions were genuine. This movie is neither a classic adaptation of Shakespear, nor a classic in its own right, but is definitely scores points for the magnificence of its production
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, just wonderful
Review: I thought this movie was absolutely superb. I thought the changes of the country and time period added a certain flare to the origional plot. I'm not saying that Shakespeare didn't know what he was doing, but it was nicely different. The bycicle was especially funny. The acting was great. Stanley Tucci was so funny in the part of Puck. Kevin Kline and Calista Flockheart also added many laughs. Lastly, the scenery was just gorgeous. The town in Italy was quaint and the enchanted forest was so beautiful it was unbelieveable. This movie was altogether well done, but I suggest that if you want to watch it, you keep in mind that it does not completely stick to the plot. I thought the changes added to the hilarity of the story, but not everybody appreciates interpretations of Shakespearean plays.
Rating: 
Summary: For those of us who don't live for Shakespear
Review: The goal of this review is to say a few words about the movie (MSND) for those people who don't live for the latest adaptation of a Shakespearean play. My wife and I made it through 10 minutes of this DVD before we had to shut if off. This just isn't how we want to spend our "down time" on a Friday evening. I needed subtitles just to keep up with the dialog. We definitely were drawn to the MSND by the cast, all of whom had made movies we really enjoyed, but this movie belongs in an acting class (if you really believe great actors need to perform Shakespeare). Now we aren't complete snobs about these types of movies. We really enjoyed Mel Gibson's Hamlet, but I felt like I was back in high school while watching a MSND, trying to find the relevance of being exposed to this material. Maybe it gets better as it goes on, but unless you're prepared to take notes and rewind to catch the dialog, I'd pass unless you're a real Shakespeare buff.
Rating:
Summary: Disgraceful
Review: This is vandalism. All of Theseus's great speeches--the ones that state the play's themes, like his gorgeous description of his hounds--are cut. Theseus himself is portrayed as a uxorious weakling, without wisdom or will. Even his pardon of the lovers appears to be granted only at Hippolyta's insistence. David Strathairn as Theseus has the look of someone who's mostly thinking about something else--maybe what color upholstery to get in his new Mercedes. There is no Theseus here, so there is no grace or justice in the world of the play. All of the beautiful symmetry, the harmony of opposites, the triumphant insistence on the redemptive and creative power of the loving imagination is ignored or destroyed. Instead we get naked mud wrestling (I'm not making this up), a lot of long, loving closeups of Rupert Everett looking wistful as Oberon, and a soundtrack composed of every Italian opera chestnut the producers could remember liking when they heard them in the original commercials. I thought Calista Flockhart was quite good in the difficult role of Helena. But the film is vile.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Effort and Certainly Fun
Review: Well, there are mistakes, let's admit it. For example, Roger Rees is wasted in a minor role, when he is the most talented memeber of this cast at performing Shakespeare. Rees steals each scene he's in with Kevin Kline, who just does not quite have the charisma to do Bottom justice. And did we really need to see Bottom's wife (Who? ) and the mud wrestling? Nope. Fox seems to have thought that the play would not be strong enough to carry its own weight, so they brought in Callista Flockheart and a few other ringers to draw a younger audience. But by the end of the play, you learn to ignore her and the others who need more experience before they try doing the Bard again. I found myself enjoying, instead, the exuberant fun of scenes such as the play-within-the-play, which is carried off reasonably well. Indeed, there are enough redeeming moments in this production to make it worth a viewing. Michelle Pfeiffer is fabulous as Titania, Stanley Tucci does an unusually low-key, but delightfully cynical Puck, and I greatly enjoyed the relocation of the play to Italy at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century. As a former professor of Shakespearean drama, I would certainly use this film in a class.
Rating:
Summary: A Midsummer NightMear
Review: I seen this movie last year when it came out in the Theater."Matrix" was already showing,so we settled for this film. I love Michelle Pfeiffer,and Kevin Kline has always been one of my favorite actors. When the film started,I knew from the begining this was a mistake. If I had a choice,I'd rather have my Wisdom teeth pulled without novacane.I would have walked out of the film,but I was on a date and didn't want to be rude.The happiest day of my life is when I saw,"The End."If anyone wants life to slow down,rent this video.Two hours will seem like a week.
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