A terrific Shakespeare adaptation

Rating: 9/10 (3 February 2016)

Macbeth seems to have come and gone with little fanfare, but this is a rather excellent movie. It's a fairly faithful retelling of the play with Michael Fassbender as Macbeth and Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth. The most notable change is its unexpected side-lining of Lady Macbeth, and this is also its biggest mistake. Cotillard feels wasted as a result. The film excels the most with its depiction of Macbeth himself as a damaged warrior full of angst and grief. Thus, Macbeth is an unexpectedly sympathetic character in this version, which adds to the film's strength. It's perhaps not a film you'll want to see again. Brutal, rage filled and joyless, this is one hugely depressing movie and does get pretty harrowing at times. It's not a strikingly different adaptation like 1996's Romeo and Juliet. It's a faithful cinematic interpretation of the play which unleashes the full force of the play's emotion on the audience. There aren't many rays of sunshine here. This is full-on, ferocious stuff and this approach will put some viewers off.
The lines are a bit too quiet at times, and can be difficult to understand. This is a problem, but the film leans heavily on its visuals to tell the story. And what visuals they are. Every frame is a painting here, and the cinematography is utterly mind blowing. As a piece of visual storytelling, it's brilliant. While it's pretty heavy, the film is effective and emotionally powerful, and it does convey the themes of its masterful source material. One to see on the big screen (Although this was box office bomb so sadly most won't), this is overall a very well constructed and executed adaptation. This interestingly seems to have divided people's opinions a lot. The film has a polarising quality, but I firmly see it as an excellent movie, and one of my favourite films of 2015. Easily one of the best cinema experiences I had all year, this is one brutally intense and powerful movie that isn't easy viewing, but does its source material proud and provides an amazing visual experience backed by excellent acting.
9/10