Review of Much Ado About Nothing (2013) by Andrew B — 22 Dec 2013

An excellent companion to Kenneth Branagh's masterpiece of decades past. I cannot recommend one over the other. Both are well-crafted, well-acted and fun. I suspected that this modern production would reference the earlier film, but it seems that great pains were taken to ensure that the actors did not too much resemble their counterparts. I can't point to a single line and say "THAT sounded familiar.".

In fact, the new interpretation does not even contain the same characters as the older production. Amy Acker's playful Beatrice has very little in common with Emma Thompson's serious spinster. Alexis Denisof's sardonic warrior shares little with Kenneth Branagh's sarcastic poet.

The one obvious improvement is the upgrade from the robotic Keanu Reeves to the mediocre Sean Maher. While I wouldn't have called Maher a "great" actor before this film, he is excellent as Don Jon. I didn't care for him in Firefly (though I love the show, and can live with him in it), and feel like that series probably damaged his career, I hope casting directors and critics see him in this film and consider him redeemed. I certainly do.

Again, I can't say that one is better than the other. They are both excellent, and are both personal favorites. In the series of modern Shakespeare, this film far eclipses the ridiculous retelling of Romeo & Juliet, and makes a good mate for Macbeth, starring Patrick Stewart.

As an entry in the Wedonverse, this film measures up. I feel like Joss is really good at taking actors who would otherwise have gone unnoticed and bringing out the best in them. I love that Uncle Joss likes to reuse his actors, and this film is LOADED with old friends. I love each of the returning actors in this movie, but my favorite was seeing Nathan Fillion as Dogberry. It's always so much fun to see a good actor play the fool, and Malcolm Reynolds gets it done.

I love that this movie was filmed on Red (being a photographer myself), and I love that it is presented without color. Some may find it off-putting or silly, but I think it works for this film.