Shakespeare's classic tale hits the big screen.

Rating: Null/10 (20 July 2016)

What makes "Macbeth" such a legendary story isn't due to its creepy and engrossing story line that takes its characters through a thunderstorm of chaos, but rather what it did originally, that is exploiting pride and power and what it does to the mind. Shakespeare's epic tragedy hits the big screen from director Justin Kurzel in a somewhat disappointing fashion. Kurzel hits the mark with the production and costume design, setting up ancient Scotland in fantastic uniform. What Kurzel fails to do is adapt it fully enough. Unless you didn't graduate from high school English, the story is relatively iconic. Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself, leading to war and blood. Michael Fassbender, one of the hottest rising stars as Macbeth, and French actress Marion Cotillard as his mischievous wife, give great performances who were born for these roles. The only issue "Macbeth" has is that the writing is too similar to the playwright. In fact, it is nearly word for word what Shakespeare originally wrote centuries ago. What this does it make it hard to fully understand and hear what's occurring on screen, tending to lose track of what the story symbolizes and take away the entertainment value from the film. Despite this problem, "Macbeth" is a triumph of production and surely the strongest screen adaptation of the play to date.