After a few early spins in his grave, Shakespeare may end up grudgingly respectful
Comment
07/13/07
Macbeth (2007)
46
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:41
Fresh:19
Rotten:22
Average Rating:5.2/10
Consensus: A new take on Macbeth relies too heavily on nudity and violence, and ends up looking like a campy 1970s horror movie.
Theatrical Release:13-07-2007
Synopsis: With his fourth film, Australian director Geoffrey Wright attempts to contemporize a Shakespeare classic. Featuring Elizabethan dialogue in the midst of an urban and violent modern-day setting,... [More]
Starring: Sam Worthington, Victoria Hill, Lachy Hulme, Gary Sweet
Director: Geoffrey Wright
Reviews for Macbeth
This modern-day Australian adaptation of the Scottish play is thrillingly deranged, although it's also rather pretentious.
07/13/07
Flawed but enjoyable adaptation with some good ideas balanced against occasionally amateurish direction and unintentionally amusing pronunciation.
07/13/07
There are good performances, smart direction and dark-hued photography that's impressive. But it would be surprising if this Macbeth were to bring people back to Shakespeare proper, as it intends.
07/13/07
Light touches are counterbalanced by some heavy-footed acting and a streak of leaden literal-mindedness.
07/13/07
Sadly, the delivery does not always match the magnificence of Shakespeare’s words and the film relies much too heavily on brutal violence for its drama.
07/13/07
FAST-paced and flashy, this contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s bloodiest play catches the eye but never engages the heart like it should.
07/13/07
Ultimately, though, it's just a load of sound and fury, indifferently played by a Neighbours-lite cast and fatally compromised by graphic violence that makes Roman Polanski's 1971 version seem tame by comparison. Strewth…
07/13/07
Double, double toil and trouble, handgun burn and jacuzzi indifferently percolate.
07/13/07
The story's handled at a reasonable clip, and there are some good, if uniformly bearded, supporting performances.
07/13/07
Top CriticEverything is over-directed and over-designed like a gruelling pop video with an awful lot of sound and fury.
07/13/07
Top CriticThe film disintegrates into an over-the-top 1970s horror.
07/13/07
Top CriticGood-looking and well-meaning, this Macbeth falls some way short of its intentions, but nevertheless breathes glamorous and sadistic new life into an old story.
07/13/07
Top CriticA tacky mix of neon lights and bare skin.
07/13/07
Top CriticPoetic but bleekly pessimistic version of the Danish tragedy.
07/13/07
Top CriticUnfortunately, ‘Romper Stomper’ director Geoffrey Wright’s take on the play fails to do it justice: both lumpen and flashy, it convinces neither as drama nor as stylistic exercise.
07/12/07
Top CriticClick to read the article
01/08/09
The play's power has been diluted by questionable editing, an overload of blandly stylized violence and the conspicuous suspicion that this whole thing is the predictable result of catering to base commercial instincts.
01/14/08
Something weakened this way comes, you could say.
08/16/07
It’s probably best not to look too deep for meaning.
08/10/07
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