Review of Hamlet (1996) by George T — 28 Sep 2010

2: I'm sad to say I am not a fan. I enjoyed reading Shakespeare when I was younger and I've greatly enjoyed numerous film adaptations (Welles' Othello, Olivier's Hamlet, Luhrman's Romeo & Juliet, Zeffirelli's Romeo & Juliet, Almereyda's Hamlet, Kurosawa's King Lear (Ran), Kurosawa's Macbeth (Throne of Blood), Polanski's Macbeth) including Branaugh's Much Ado About Nothing, but I just couldn't make myself fall in love with this acclaimed, at least by some, film version.

I honestly found it interminably long and often poorly staged. The performances are a bit nonchalant and less than entertaining as well. Hamlet should be far drearier and more serious than this. It felt like a comedy at times, which is fine for the comedic sections, but the heavier sections were handled too lightly to give them the necessary weight.

The locations were often beautiful and some of the scenes were quite riveting and breathtaking, but overall I just didn't feel like the story was pulling me forward toward a conclusion. Heston's performance was probably the highlight for me.

Despite the fantastic locations and effects, I was never emotionally involved enough with either the story or the characters to care much about them. It's possible I'd enjoy this in a theater as I will admit to being fairly distracted while watching the film.