Post by lynn on Jul 14, 2013 19:49:56 GMT -5
Just went and saw this Joss Whedon version on the weekend and all my high expectations were met. Casting was great, Amy Acker carried the movie as a splendidly funny and vulnerable Beatrice, Agent Coulson wasn't dead but really shone as Hero's father (I'm not good with the names) but the real star in his few scenes was Nathan Fillion's Dogberry. It's a funny role and he ate it up, doing so much more than was in the script to make the stock bumbling policeman such a memorable and hilarious part of the movie. I laughed to tears a couple of times because of him. Go see the movie for him alone, even if you don't like Shakespeare.
They leaned pretty heavily on the comedy aspect of the play, I know, I know, it is a comedy, but like all Shakespeare it could go either way. There's been a lot of talk about how feminist and gendered the movie is, there was a bit of that but I didn't feel like the whole thing was the feminist panegyric some people made it out to be. Because it's Shakespeare and the language can be a lot to swallow the acting as more broad than you'd normally see, which may annoy some people but I felt that it fit the heightened tone of the whole piece. The leads at times put in some very broad physical comedy, but also some heartbreaking quiet moments pepper the piece.
There's been some changes to the script, most notably the opening scene which establishes Beatrice and Benedict's backstory (which is fairly absent in the play, it must be said) which I wasn't sure worked for the whole of the story. It gave their early scenes some extra depth but made some later revelations work less-well. Overall though the changes to the play are good, especially one transfer of a male character for a female, allowing some more sex into the story (though as it has been pointed out they could have kept the male casting and the sex).
All in all I found the movie an enjoyable experience, though long, and much more so when accompanied by a nice glass of wine. Note here, they drink a lot in this movie. Too much, I felt, mainly because it seemed to be that a glass of wine was the default prop, and it got a little old. Pick up something else, why not?
Wait, I almost forgot the score. Joss and buddies have come up with a fittingly light score to this, picking up some Shakespeare poems and making them lyrics in some lovely ditties done my Maurissa Taecheron, which have stuck in my head since the movie. Nicely done there too.
They leaned pretty heavily on the comedy aspect of the play, I know, I know, it is a comedy, but like all Shakespeare it could go either way. There's been a lot of talk about how feminist and gendered the movie is, there was a bit of that but I didn't feel like the whole thing was the feminist panegyric some people made it out to be. Because it's Shakespeare and the language can be a lot to swallow the acting as more broad than you'd normally see, which may annoy some people but I felt that it fit the heightened tone of the whole piece. The leads at times put in some very broad physical comedy, but also some heartbreaking quiet moments pepper the piece.
There's been some changes to the script, most notably the opening scene which establishes Beatrice and Benedict's backstory (which is fairly absent in the play, it must be said) which I wasn't sure worked for the whole of the story. It gave their early scenes some extra depth but made some later revelations work less-well. Overall though the changes to the play are good, especially one transfer of a male character for a female, allowing some more sex into the story (though as it has been pointed out they could have kept the male casting and the sex).
All in all I found the movie an enjoyable experience, though long, and much more so when accompanied by a nice glass of wine. Note here, they drink a lot in this movie. Too much, I felt, mainly because it seemed to be that a glass of wine was the default prop, and it got a little old. Pick up something else, why not?
Wait, I almost forgot the score. Joss and buddies have come up with a fittingly light score to this, picking up some Shakespeare poems and making them lyrics in some lovely ditties done my Maurissa Taecheron, which have stuck in my head since the movie. Nicely done there too.