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63
11th Hour, The Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies. |
Hamlet
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MPAA RATING: R for some violence
Starring Ethan Hawke, Kyle MacLachlan, Sam Shepard, Diane Venora, Bill Murray, Liev Schreiber, Julia Stiles, and Steve Zahn
Michael Almereyda's update of the Shakespeare play, starring Ethan Hawke as the young prince of the Denmark Corporation film empire.
| GENRE(S): | Drama |
| WRITTEN BY: |
William Shakespeare (play)
Michael Almereyda |
| DIRECTED BY: | Michael Almereyda |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: April 17, 2001 Video: April 17, 2001 Theatrical: May 12, 2000 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 111 minutes, BW / Color |
| ORIGIN: | USA |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 5.3 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Pat C. gave it a 4:
Hamlet afficionados won't want to miss Bill Murray's swarmy rendering of Polonius. But Hamlet's father was a man of noble stature, moral impeccability and competent leadership. Sorry Sam, you were mis-cast. Branagh's film, or Mel Gibson's complete "Playright's Cut" are time better spent.
Mary M. gave it an 8:
It takes a bit of time to get into this film, but once you do, you won't ever want to leave it! Mr.Hawke's (and I call him Mr. for a reason),performance is absolutely outstanding! Of all of the cast members, he is the one who really, truly understands the words of the Bard. He makes Shakespeare's words roll off his tonge, with the emotions intact!!! Many, many kudos to Mr. Hawke for what is, in my mind an actor's performance!!! Thank you Ethan!!! Keep up the good, no... great! work! M.H.Muise Toronto, Ontario, Can.
Jesse S. gave it a 1:
This is just flat out awful.
Don L. gave it a 7:
Good modern day interpretation, but lacks what Branaugh's film has. Overall, not as good as other Hamlet films.
Susan S. gave it an 8:
Hamlet is one of my favorite plays in general, and any movie that does not do it justice angers me. This movie did not do so. The cutting choices were well made (although I do wish they had left in the graveyard scene, although I can see how that would not work in the flow that the movie was taking). Ethan Hawke made a wonderful brooding prince, and the setting enveloped the dark mood of the text. Everyone pulls off the language well--particularly Bill Murray, who manages to make it his own. I like the presentation of the ghost--seeing him in the security cameras, and also playing on the theme of camera and filming aides the who's-watching-whom theme in the play. One choice I especially like by the director was to have Gertrude drink the poison intentionally, a direction not usually taken, but it worked well here. Overall, this is a very solid movie, although the fencing at the end worked but seemed slightly out of place (didn't seem as creatively reworked as everything else); I wish Fortinbras had been brought in more, and it seemed the director tried a bit too hard to make as high tech as possible. I loved the way the director utilized the medium by focusing on characters who are not talking, allowing the audience to focus on other characters' reactions (particularly with Ophelia). This movie is not Kenneth Branaugh, and I wouldn't even compare the two. Branaugh did his version and Almereyda did his, and they both worked in thier own genres.
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