woot

Rating: 9/10 (26 November 2005)

(I'm not sure if what I say will actually spoil anything, but better safe than sorry.)
I walked into this movie with a tremendous bias towards the A&E miniseries, expecting this version to be a cuter, more bubble-gum popular adaptation. Well, imagine my surprise.
I found this film, though dipping to tendencies to "move right along," to be quite excellent indeed. I had always had hope in Keira Knightley to become a better actress, ever since i read in IMDb that she expressed a desire to do so. I wasn't wowed in King Arthur, and her performance in Domino was good, but not enough to blow my skirt up. This floored me. Whereas Jennifer Ehle worked with much more subtle variances of emotion in the A&E miniseries, Keira Knightley made it KNOWN that she was angry, sad, happy, hungry, whatever. She managed to express the plainness of Elizabeth's character by action instead of looks.
Matthew McFayden...is no Colin Firth. That's not said to downplay Matthew McFayden, but rather to further "up-play" Colin Firth. McFayden manages to capture the character of Mr. Darcy satisfactorily, but he had quite an act to follow, so I wasn't expecting him to knock my socks off. He had the ability to be cold, while also the ability to be warm. He wasn't wonderful, however, at showing a transition between the two. Nonetheless, he did a very good job (and he has the stage presence of Clive Owen, or so I believe.)
Jena Malone was ridiculous, and therefore, perfect for the role of Lydia. Donald Sutherland did a pretty good job, but I would have rather seen Michael Caine or Anthony Hopkins fill the shoes of Mr. Bennet. Rosamund Pike definitely fulfilled the characteristics of Jane: optimistic, shy, and prettier than all the other sisters. Tom Hollander, Kelly Reilly, Brenda Blethyn, Simon Woods, and especially Judi Dench were wonderful in their supportive roles as well. So, casting was better than i thought it would be.
The cinematography, along with the music...is unparalleled. To compare, I now see that the A&E version was, in scope, a television show. This was a movie. There were unique changes in camera angles, long takes, subtle zooms to show tension, fast zooms to show panic, and many wonderful uses of lighting. It, along with the beautiful piano compositions to accompany it, did a much better job at capturing the mood than I saw even in my imagination when reading the book.
This movie...was amazing. I'll understand if you do not agree with me, but...if you're squeamish because of a fear it won't be as good as past versions, just give it a shot. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
A. Solid A.