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Titus
Fox Searchlight Pictures


7.7

based on 29 reviews
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How did we calculate this?

based on 9 votes
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FILM:

MPAA RATING: R for strong violent and sexual images

Starring Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Alan Cumming, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, and Laura Fraser

Julie Taymor directs this screen adaptation of Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus," a bold combination of high tragedy and black comedy.

GENRE(S):	Drama
WRITTEN BY:	William Shakespeare (play Titus Andronicus) Julie Taymor
DIRECTED BY:	Julie Taymor
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: August 15, 2000 Video: August 15, 2000 Theatrical: December 25, 1999
RUNNING TIME:	162 minutes, 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...

100

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

A film of audacity and total gut-level appeal.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Paula Nechak

Gorgeous in its gore and, for all its destruction, despair and death, concludes on an optimistic and vibrantly alive note.

Austin Chronicle Robert Faires

A spectacularly imaginative piece of Shakespearean cinema.

Chicago Tribune John Petrakis

Once you get used to the broad gestures, visual stylings and reach-for-the-sky emotions, you may find yourself luxuriating in this movie's undeniable grandeur.

Baltimore Sun Ann Hornaday

Taymor conjures images that are as indelible as they are wordlessly articulate.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

A brilliant and absurd film of "Titus Andronicus" that goes over the top, doubles back and goes over the top again.

Philadelphia Inquirer Desmond Ryan

Visually brilliant and thought-provoking.

TNT RoughCut Don Kaye

A surreal and visually dazzling smorgasbord of pageantry, high camp, tragedy, spectacle, and gore.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Taymor's visual and visceral flair makes Titus a grabber.

Dallas Observer Andy Klein

Taymor moves Titus completely out of time and into all time.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

One of Hollywood's bloodiest and goofiest adaptations.

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

Rescues a rarely performed tragedy and makes a brilliant case that it is the Shakespeare play for our time.

Time Richard Corliss

Vivid, relevant and of elevating scariness.

San Francisco Examiner Wesley Morris

The director bludgeons us dumb with her genius.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

Julie Taymor's beautifully stylized but nauseatingly violent adaptation of Shakespeare's first play.

Boston Globe Jay Carr

A brilliant production of a mediocre play.

TV Guide Ken Fox

Much of it is inspired, some of it is downright awful, but it does entertain, even as it threatens to drown its generally fine cast in a flood of blood and sundry body parts.

LA Weekly F. X. Feeney

Taymor has done an inspired job of resurrecting one of Shakespeare's unruliest works, just in time for the new century.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Remains a sampling of stagy scenes barreling to a gruesome climax, parts greater than the sum of the whole.

USA Today Staff [Not Credited]

There's a lot to talk about but so much outrageousness that the end effect is wearying and not a little absurd.

Variety Todd McCarthy

Taymor makes the action clear and easy to follow with her bold physicalization of the story and forceful direction of an astutely chosen cast.

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Makes the best possible argument for a cautionary drama that contemplates the absolute worst in us.

Village Voice J. Hoberman

A nonstop carnival of murder, rape, and mutilation .

Film.com Ernest Hardy

An often gorgeous, dizzying assault of ideas and visual flourishes...it's just not very good.

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

More travesty than tragedy.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

There's something hideously pretentious about the whole thing.

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

Even the most shocking elements of the story are made bland by childish overkill.

Salon.com Charles Taylor

Like so many self-conscious directors, Julie Taymor wrecks Shakespeare's already disastrous play with her own horrific vision.

Mr. Showbiz Michael Atkinson

Invoking unpleasant memories of "Caligula" (only without the sex), Titus does no justice to Shakespeare.

The average user rating for this movie is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 9 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

John D gave it a10:
Beautiful, gripping movie. Amazing performances.

Gabor A. gave it a 1:
The play was already absolute garbage forcing the characters to make utterly illogical actions and evoke ridiculous emotions just so the irrational plot could keep moving. Somehow the movie emphasised this weakness, stew buckets of blood at the camera, and made the work even worse. Shakespeare at his worst and hollywood at its worst. What could be worse except maybe a similar remake of Merchant of Venice?

Pat C. gave it a 7:
This story can never be either a popular play or movie. Shakespeare was a master, even over what we don't want to deal with. An important movie in making his body of work accessible via home theater. Good job of converting the original script into something we can follow today.

Jonah gave it a 9:
An elaborate, ridiculous and gorgeous ressurection of one of Shakespeare's most unreadable plays. It's images will stay with you long after the movie is over.

[Anonymous] gave it a 4:
Extreme gore makes this 3 movie a 4.

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Titus Fox Searchlight Pictures

Titus
Fox Searchlight Pictures