Hell Is Murky and So Is Scotland

Rating: 4/10 (10 January 2016)

Macbeth is a beautifully shot but in many respect weak adaption of Shakespeare's play. Although the major performers give it their best, they are undermined by at times odd choices in staging by the director. The result is pretty but ultimately underwhelming.
On one hand, the Scottish play has never been more beautiful. The cinematography makes excellent use of lighting, fog, smoke, and more fog. Scotland has never been gloomier, nor have battles looked more ominous. The excellent camera work is complemented by good use of the landscape of the Scottish highlands.
The acting, while not mind blowing, does the material justice. Michael Fassbender embodies Macbeth's descent into madness, slowly transitioning from reluctant killer into bloodthirsty tyrant. Although her performance is less showy, Marion Cotillard does well with her role as Lady Macbeth. She is helped by some changes from the original play that make her shift from ruthless killer to guilt ridden maniac more plausible.
However, this is undermined by some odd choices in direction, which range from distracting to outright ruining scenes. For instance, whenever a character is talking, the camera zooms into his or her face, to the point that it borders on self-parody. Moreover, in some scenes the overall murkiness is overdone, as in the climactic fight between Macbeth and Macduff where it is hard to tell what is going on through all the smoke.
One especially poorly executed scene is the banquet where Banquo's ghost appears. When Macbeth talks to the hired killers, he practically announces the murder to the entire room. While the convention of the stage whisper works in the theater, it makes no sense in a cinema production and renders Macbeth's attempts to feign surprise at Banquo's failure to appear comical.
In the end, this flawed execution undermines the beautiful camera work and effective performances.