Movie Review: Much Ado About Nothing

[caitri]

Just got back from Whedon's version of Much Ado. SO MANY FEELS, YOU GUYS!!!!

Seriously, it was like when I went to see The Hobbit, and was so happy to see everyone--but even exponentially greater. Wesley!!! Fred!!!! Coulsoooooooon! Dominic!! Simon Tam, I didn't even KNOW I had missed you! Topher, when did you get all cut?! Andrew! Mal! BriTaNick! WAITRESS OF DESTINY, YOU DIDN'T EVEN GET CUT THIS TIME!

I love so much about the whole thing, especially the composition of "Ladies, Sigh Not So"--I really hope Amazon has that. I also love how it's one of those film versions where everyone clearly understands the words they are saying (something that should seem obvious but is so often lacking in Hollywood productions).

That Whedon goes with the interpretation that Beatrice and Benedick used to have a thing works really well, especially as set up through the wordless prologue/flashbacks. On the other hand, I didn't get the sense that it worked for those versions of the characters, and REALLY didn't work with the sexual context/comparison of Hero and Claudio. Any thoughts on this?

I have mixed feelings about how they handled the Ethiop line--on the one hand, way to acknowledge something in the text, on the other hand...hmm. Oh well, Claudio always was a problem, wasn't he?

Also, I think Reed Diamond and Clark Gregg should always be bros in everything, forever and ever. The end.

Comments

[oonaseckar.livejournal.com]

OMG, Topher's in it? Must see!

[caitri.livejournal.com]

He is! And he's so good in it!!!!

[sail-aweigh.livejournal.com]

You pretty much hit everything I liked and found lacking in the film. I really loved it. Amy Acker, Fran Kranz, Reed Diamond and Clark Gregg stood out in this. I felt Alexis Denisof was a bit of a weak link, he just didn't feel as convincing as Benedict as Amy Acker did with Beatrice. I don't know who played the friar, but I really liked him, too! And Sean Maher played very menacing, very well; I was surprised I could believe it of him after Firefly. Well, hell, I just loved it all, with the few caveats you mentioned.