Borserie
it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.
TrueHello
Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
Maleeha Vincent
It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.
Madilyn
Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.
Mike Myrtil
Incest, Ghosts, Revenge, Death. This movie has it all, and the dysfunctional royal family is the start of it all. Most notably, "King" Claudius. Actually everyone should point fingers at him. Even the ghost did, which is reasonable because the spectre happens to be the real King Halmet. David Tennent is a phenomenal actor because he plays a Hamcrazy character that can turn from serious to "off his rocker" in a matter of a few lines. His soliloquy is lengthy and spot-on with Shakespearean's original motives. Tennent's character, Hamlet, is a Dutch prince bent on revenge for his fathers death. Not only did he suspected the new king, his own uncle, to be the murderer, but he has an extreme distaste for his mother, who was married to the now dead king, to marry his uncle a minute after the original king's "death." So yeah, this family is a dysfunctional as you can get. Speaking of the sinful Claudius, of the devil actually, by him betraying and offing his brother, he sets forth a chain of events that eventually gets everyone that has a name killed. Well, except for two lucky characters but we'll get to that later. Unfortunately, most of the bloodshed happens near the end so save your bloodlust for later. Patrick Stewart, who plays Claudius, already has a strong background in acting with the X-men movie series and the Star Trek TV series on his resume. So he's a very capable actor and it shows in this movie. Playing the role of a kind-hearted king who has dark secrets was not easy and Picard, I mean Patrick pulled it off with aplomb. After Claudius was semi-exposed by semi-crazy Hamlet, he started becoming a big dutchkill and wanted Hamlet gone out of his castle. Penny Downie plays Gertrude that is basically in the movie just for the incest set-piece. Horatio, Hamlet's best friend, is the luckiest guy in the world to live in that castle and somehow not end up dead. Almost (wink). Robert Curtis, who plays Fortinbras, is such a good actor that he was Fortingone for the entirety of the movie. There's no need because he is a Norwegian prince that can do what he wants, wage wars, and take over thrones of other countries. This movie's target audience would be Britons, conquering princes, murdering kings, incestuous Queens, Shakespeare fanboys, the 16th century, and English teachers across the world.
Armand
another Hamlet. decent, interesting. but far to seduce. the acting is OK and the new elements are not bad but scene by scene something seems missing. the pressure of role for David Tennant, the filming angles, Patrick Steward who is not more than a Cladius as too many others are causes for to define it only as a good job. the great problem remains the expectations. and the hard effort to be on screen the same from the scene. the pillar of entire building - Oliver Ford Davies who transforms in wise manner the old image of Polonius. and an inspired Ophelia. short, a film who must see it. for the acting. for rediscover Hamlet in new light. for a good work. and for the status of new exercise to define the fundamental values using the same questions .
OutsideHollywoodLand
For American audiences who love Shakespeare (an oxymoron at best!) and Harry Potter, the casting of David Tennant as Hamlet is an intriguing one. Tennant, who is wildly popular in the UK in the Doctor Who series, is also known to fans across the Isles as Barty Crouch Jr. from Harry Potter fantasy franchise.Pairing David Tennant with Patrick Stewart, who is a double foil as both the slain ghost king father and Hamlet's uncle Claudius is masterful casting in this version from the Royal Shakespearean Company. As a result, Stewart was nominated for an Emmy as Best Supporting Actor.Besides this quirky casting choice, director Gregory Doran propels this oft-told tale through the tone and inflection that each character brings to the all too familiar silted language of the Bard. One could easily close their eyes and simply bask in the joy of the rise and fall of phrases and words spun into this delightful audio experience.Yet another pleasure is watching Sir Patrick Stewart literally play against himself - mano y mano - as Hamlet's mournful ethereal specter and the greedy, selfish brother. Pennie Downie, Mariah Gale, and Oliver Ford Davies provide an excellent counter-point to the brash and bold Tennant/Steward duo.This is a fine minimalist production that should be added to any Hamlet FANatic's collection.
esgaril
I checked the spoiler check-box to be sure, but I don't think anyone would be surprised by the bits of storyline I'll reveal. :)I wasn't fortunate enough to see the production on stage, so I was very excited when I found out that they will release it on DVD. I watched it the day when finally arrived till 2 am and totally worth the next sleepy workday. I saw David Tennant in many roles and I think he's one of the most talented actors in his generation. He never fails to connect his character with me and I was curious to see his Hamlet. I wasn't disappointed. I saw quite a few Hamlets over the years, but this was the first when I was able to see the human behind the role. I don't know anything about the inner work of theater, I'm merely one of the audience, I only can say what I feel. Don't get me wrong, Kenneth Brannagh was an amazing Hamlet, but even he couldn't get Hamlet close to me. David Tennant did. He showed me the real meaning and depth of those beautiful words Shakespeare written. He made me feel all of Hamlet's pain and uncertainty, the educated man who not only lost his beloved father, had to see his mother married so close after the funeral, but witness an appearance of a ghost and based on its words he was expected to commit a murder. No wonder he was considering suicide to escape from all of this. I could totally understand, even sympathize with him like I never did before. This version of Hamlet is the most memorable for me because of his powerful performance.Also Sir Patrick Stewart was an authentic and subtle villain, the essence of the "smiling in your face than stab you in the back" type. His Claudius showed genuine love for Gertrude as well which was one of the main reasons why he murdered his own brother. I always felt that many actors (or directors) failed to put some focus on that. After all there should be some very good reason to kill your closest kin and it's not like Denmark was especially powerful or rich at the time with Fortinbras and his army at the borders.I also loved Penny Downie as the clueless, "goes with the flow" Gertrude, even if I wonder all the time that how is it possible that she doesn't suspect anything right until the bedroom scene. Penny made me think that maybe she does, only she choose not to see what happens in front of her eyes.Unfortunately I couldn't love Mariah Gale's Ophelia, I couldn't connected with her like I did with the others. Maybe it's my fault but I couldn't see her as the beautiful and intelligent young woman who worth of the love of the prince and who return his feelings so strongly, that when she lost him to the madness she takes her own first step to that way as well.This review gets quite long so just some quick words about the set: I think the modernization worked very well, the black, mirror-like floor, the security camera system helped me to rethink the play from a new viewpoint and showed it like it would be the first time anyone perform it. It seemed new and fresh to me and I wondered if that was the way (aside from the modern technique of course) they used to perform in the first days before the play was burdened with so much expectation and history.All in all, I highly recommend this movie for those who have never seen Hamlet before and for those who have seen a lot, but are open for some fresh version of it.