Review of Anonymous (2011) by Bard C — 01 Feb 2012

After several effects-driven disaster flicks, Independence Day director, Roland Emmerich has finally proven that his artistic input is worth a damn. The story of Anonymous (which not only questions the legitimacy of William Shakespeare's authorship and of Elizabeth's I's supposed celibacy, but attempts to draw a connection between the two), while unbelievable, is quite expertly crafted, using a wealth of historical fact and conspiracy.

It is also a lot less dull than it may sound. All of Emmerich's staples are here, for better or worse, but in a manner that is applicable to both the story and one of the most beautifully crafted Elizabethian Era sets ever seen on film.

Also notable are the brilliant performances by both of the film's leads, David Thewlis and Rhys Ifans. As long as nobody takes the film's heavy-handed dose of theoretical history to heart without doing a little bit of their own research, then Anonymous is definitely one for the books.