Coriolanus
User Score
6.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 41 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 41
  3. Negative: 6 out of 41

Review this movie

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. MIKALE
    Mar 17, 2012
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. To be honest I struggled with the dialogue and it really killed my experience of this one. Wished they had gone all the way with turning this in to a contemporary take on the original material with the script too so the more average minded peeps like myself could get a better understanding of the drama unfolding.

    There were some interesting things going on, I really wanted to get some insight into the whole drama of a man turning on his own country and family and it seemed like the film might have drawn some interesting parallels to modern events but unfortunately I couldn't figure out much of it.

    Performances seemed strong and great visuals too.

    Definitely one best left to the Shakespeare types to figure out though.    … Expand
  2. Gene
    Mar 24, 2012
    9
    I hadn't watched or read any Shakespeare material since high school, and walked out the theater awestruck. I think I only got about 80% of the dialogue, but this was definitely the "watching the first shakespeare play" experience that critics talk about that I never understood. The set pieces and the action and combat scenes are expertly done, the visuals alone could carry this movie. Unfortunately the modernization didn't work 100% of the time. The scenes with unwashed mobs inside council chambers and new conferences kind of creaked. Movie would have been far better served repurposing their dialogue into "man on the street" news footage or town hall meetings. Roman style forums just don't translate into modern day life that well.… Expand
  3. vankwisha
    May 15, 2012
    2
    I must admit I really didn't enjoy this movie at all. I struggled to watch it for 45 minutes then just gave up and felt frustrated. It does have some good well known actors though if you can look past the short comings of the movie.
  4. jhep
    Feb 8, 2012
    0
    What a pointless film !!â
  5. asthobaskoro
    Aug 28, 2012
    8
    I've never watched movie like this before, I couldn't even describe it but I really like it. Ralph Fiennes proves us that Shakespeare can still exist in modern time.
  6. nascent
    May 14, 2012
    4
    Fiennes' acting is great, but the direction is fairly eccentric, with MTV-style editing and extreme closeups ala Tony Scott style.

    The overall movie is pretty gimmicky, it's just Shakespeare with explosions and a modern day set design. The dialog isn't altered to fit the new style, nor is it particularly interesting to follow in it's theatrical overbearing dialog scenes, where rarely mor    e than 2 of the dozens of con-screen actors ever talk at a time.

    The film would've been far better as a more true adaptation keeping things in their time period. Trying to randomly bring everything to a modern and American setting makes no sense, and keeping the dialog in it's untouched original form means the film is only going to be enjoyable by self-proclaimed Shakespeare fans.

    This won't be the film that makes Shakespeare interesting or identifiable to you.    … Expand
  7. Inductivist
    Jun 20, 2012
    6
    I can give this film a tepid thumbs up for two reasons: 1) great acting by Fiennes and Redgrave, and 2) Shakespeare is always worth the effort. The exchanges between the two actors are mesmerizing, and the Bard's words are music to the ears.
  8. worleyjamers
    Jan 27, 2013
    6
    Coriolanus is not for everyone, in fact many people will likely hate it. I can't say I particularly loved the film, but it features many admirable qualities nonetheless. The cinematography is really good. Although it borrows heavily from it's Shakespearean roots, making it hard to understand, the script and solid and the actors deliver it wonderfully. The performances are all top-notch, Vanessa Redgrave in particular is stunning; she steals every scene she's in. If you're a fan of Shakespeare you absolutely must see this, and if you're not, it is still a good film even though it wasn't my cup of tea.… Expand
  9. Svoid
    Jan 2, 2013
    8
    A great film. I enjoyed most aspects, notably the adaptation to the modern setting and particularly the characters. It is true that Caius Martius Coriolanus (R. Fiennes) remains something of a mystery and his motivations and ultimate intentions are not clear, but the relationship between him and Tullus Aufidius (G. Butler) is excellent. Fiennes and Butler portray their respective characters well, getting into the gritty rivalry and respect between these two men of war. The plot explores the vagaries of the mob excellently and the tension between one's role as an enforcer of the will of the electorate and the will of the people. Martius is an excellent portrayal of a barbaric general: violent and unrelenting; and the film captures the feeling of warring tribes and ethnic groups (as Rome was then, as Eastern Europe was in the nineties and as parts of Africa are today). The dirty, drab and dull nature of this Europe of conflicting city states is real, if not particularly beautiful to look at - dirty streets, spray painted walls, litter and trash - the abandoned detritus of a war zone. The film doesn't focus excessively on the battles themselves, using them mainly to develop the characters of Martius and Aufidius; and uses mass media shots to carry background action forward. I felt the film managed to step across time and portray the essence of tribalism, ethnic conflict and charismatic warlords particularly well. Do we like Martius? Do we feel some connection to his humanity? The same could be said of any warlord and general. They do what must be done and people's fear of their power leads to an ambivalent national relationship with them. One thinks of the relationship between the British and American masses with their own soldiers and police, which is equally confused and undecided. At times the olde English can be a bit tiring and confusing, particularly if you don't know the play well but overall a great film.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
79 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 32
  3. Negative: 1 out of 32
  1. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Reviewed by: Joe Williams
    Mar 30, 2012
    100
    That action is bloody, but Fiennes' choices as director are unassailably apt and artful. Coriolanus is a triumph.
    Read full review
  2. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Connie Ogle
    Mar 22, 2012
    88
    Coriolanus is not by any stretch a hero, and yet Fiennes makes him magnetic, a warrior you can't look away from even when you might want to.
    Read full review
  3. Arizona Republic
    Reviewed by: Kerry Lengel
    Mar 10, 2012
    80
    As a portrait of modern warfare, politics and propaganda, Coriolanus is intriguing, even if the gritty action sequences don't quite measure up to the realism of "The Hurt Locker."
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »