McMacbeth - Best Comic Interpretation of Immortal Tragedy

Rating: 4/10 (8 January 2016)

Okay, to start with, there were a few good things about this movie. Mainly, the lush landscapes, and the individual performances of the actors with what they were given. And it's great to see a revival of interest in this masterpiece of a play.
But beyond that, many of the choices made were so laughable that it's hard to see this movie as more than a joke. It's almost a fast-food version of what Macbeth should be instead of a juicy steak: a parody of the play. And if that's the case, I would either prefer a real action movie, or a better version of Macbeth, such as the Roman Polanski version or the BBC version with Nicol Williamson. Especially check out the samurai version Throne of Blood.
So what was so bad about the movie? Alright, fasten your seat belts (see/read the play first before reading this review, as spoilers abound):
* During the scene where Lady Macbeth is convincing Macbeth to kill Duncan, they seem to start doing you-know-what. When that's done, he says, "I am settled." This is when I realized it's better to view the film as a comedy. * Malcolm witnesses the murder right after it happens, making it obvious who did it. Why wouldn't he go tell the others? Granted Shakespeare's plot is itself a bit thin, but this is really stretching it. * Macduff pukes after seeing Duncan's dead body!!! He also generally hams up his dialogue, like when shouting, "Murder!" and later "He had no children!" * Time is taken up for that, but famous lines are left out, such as, "Wake Duncan with thy knocking, I wish thou couldst" and later "Something wicked this way comes" and "Double, double, toil and trouble" * I am not kidding about this one: during one dialogue, Macbeth slips his hand under Lady M's dress!!! * They cast Fleance as a little kid, yet he outruns the murderers!!! * They leave out the witches' prophecy of Banquo's line of kings, so that it doesn't make sense why Macbeth should be mad at the witches. To make up for that, after Macbeth curses the witches by saying, "Infected be the air whereon they ride!" they have him cry "Woo hoo!" so that it seems like a compliment. * During the "Out, damned spot!" speech, not once does Lady Macbeth scrub her hands. She just stares into the camera and gets weepy. * When "the Queen, my lord, is dead" is announced, Lady M is right there in the room and doesn't look dead! MacB picks her up and starts acting romantic, which arguably misses the point of the scene--he is supposed to be desensitized to human emotions at this stage. * They don't chop down the forest!!! Instead, Macbeth burns it! It's not called "Burn 'em wood"! How did it come to Dunsinane, unless by way of smoke? The burning actually makes the climax less visually stunning, because everything is tinted orange. * Finally, there is a point where Macbeth could easily kill Macduff during their fight, but he doesn't.
All in all, I'm glad to see Macbeth being brought to the big screen again, and I commend the filmmakers for trying new things. But when there's a lot of money to spend and acting talent of this caliber is brought together, it's really important to try to make things perfect. This is especially true in light of the fact that, "if we should fail" it'll be a while before Macbeth can be brought to the big screen again with the same "sound and fury".