Macbeth (2006) Reviews

• Worth Seeing

  Silent_Bob_2006-10-03

  Perhaps it was the fact that I went to see the movie after reading the (mostly) negative reviews here, but I found that the movie far exceeded my expectations. It's true that the dialog comes off as a little odd when the movie first starts but it was easy to adjust to and by the end, as another reviewer said, it really seems to fit with the movie. Sam Worthington does an excellent job at playing the haunted character of Macbeth. For the most part the other actors do extremely well with their role as well. The action scenes seem to have songs that are actually appropriate as opposed to ones focusing on what big star they can throw in. All in all, I think it certainly deserves a higher rating than it has been receiving. It may not be the movie of the year but it was extremely enjoyable.

• 'All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players'

  gradyharp2007-10-28

  It is refreshing to rest assured that Shakespeare remains a viable writer and no matter how his plays are manipulated or 'updated' or altered or interpreted, his majesty of the English language remains intact and the impact of his ideas and words sustain even the most bizarre reconsiderations. Such, for this viewer, is the case of MACBETH as condensed for the screen by writer/actress Victoria Hill and directed with intensity and sensitivity of communication by Geoffrey Wright. The result may seem to be a bloody mad feud suggesting a majority of the teen driven films of today, but consider the source: imagining Shakespeare's MACBETH without the gore would mean the meat had been removed. Transferred from Scotland to Melbourne, Australia, the well-known fight for kingship among the Scots is transposed to be the turf struggle for supremacy in the underworld gangland of Melbourne. The script and the direction make this transposition work, using the original dialog from the play, placing it in the voices and bodies of an all-Australian cast, to the point that the allegiance of the actors as to place is far less important than the telling of a powerful tale of ambition. Sam Worthington makes an enigmatic yet strong Macbeth, well paired by Victoria Hill as his conniving and ultimately mad wife Lady Macbeth: the two form a chemistry that serves the original intent of the author well. The many characters who rise and fall in the wake of the ambition of Macbeth tend to blend a bit because of the condensation of the script, but Gary Sweet as the doomed Duncan, Steve Batoni as Banquo, and Lachy Hulme as Macduff are particularly fine. The three witches whose predictions drive the play here become nude seductresses and are well interpreted by Miranda Nation, Chloe Armstrong, and Kate Bell. The battle scenes are appropriately gruesome and the musical score that accompanies this film is an odd mixture of rock and piano transcriptions of Beethoven symphony movements. With the bracing cinematography by Will Gibson it all works well. Unfortunately the Shakespearean language can become lost with the heavy Aussie accents and subtitles would have been helpful. But if your television set has that subtitle option available, this small defect can be overcome. Yes, it helps to know the original play well in order to fully appreciate the transposition, but the script and cast and director make a fine case for involving even the uninitiated into the power of MACBETH. Worth your time, this. Grady Harp

• Shakespeare for the Tarantino generation

  huigh2006-09-17

  Saw this at a preview screening today. I have never seen the Director's most famous film, Romper Stomper, and know it only by reputation. My guess is this very graphic and bloody version will satisfy his fans and many others. Doubt I would recommend it to anyone who was unfamiliar with the play but, taken simply as a film, I believe it is excellent. Superb cinematography and great sound track back up a 'reading' of the play that seems to me to have real integrity. I note the current average rating on IMDb is a fraction over 3/10. Assuming the vast bulk of those are votes by the illiterate and inexperienced voters with a mental age of 12 who usually bulk out the meter, that probably bodes well for what is quite an exceptional film. If you don't know the play, for god's sake read it and don't send your ignorant comments to this forum.

• A refreshing look at Macbeth.

  anolinde2008-12-24

  To quote a fellow student, this version of Macbeth is exactly what Baz Lurhmann's Romeo + Juliet tried to be and failed. Here, the story of Macbeth is updated to 21st century Australia, featuring drug deals gone wrong, seductive witches, and laser guns. To say that this is the best Shakespeare movie I've ever seen is an understatement. It completely blows everything else out of the water. The first fifteen minutes sucked me in like no other: witches spray painting blood onto statues in a chilling graveyard scene, Macbeth and company whipping out machine guns to the tune of the Devastations, and Macbeth encountering the witches while on a drug trip - it sounds absolutely ludicrous, and yet the movie is filmed so artistically that you can't help but want more. One of the things that impressed me the most about this film and the actors in it was the dialogue. Oftentimes actors sound unbelievable when they recite lines from Shakespeare, as if they themselves have no idea what they're saying or they can't quite figure out which words they're supposed to emphasize. Sam Worthington in particular was excellent with his lines, delivering them perfectly and with a certain je ne sais quoi that reminded me at times of Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean. Gary Sweet as Duncan was also wonderful. Victoria Hill as Lady Macbeth was at times hit or miss, but she absolutely nailed the scenes in which her character was succumbing to madness. Several people, when discussing this movie, have complained that the original dialogue has been modified. To be honest, this didn't really bother me - after all, the movie is set in modern times, and in order to maintain credibility it is only natural that some of the dialogue would have to be cut or changed. The one grievance I did have was concerning the famous "tomorrow" speech. I didn't mind its relocation to the end of the movie, where it was actually better placed than after Lady Macbeth's death. What slightly irritated me, however, was the fact that the last few lines of the speech were cut off, which was an unnecessary change. Another topic of controversy is the role that the witches played. Turning them into seductresses was a clever move, especially since it contributed to the fantastic scene in which they speak to Macbeth for the first time, but the foursome with Macbeth was fairly gratuitous. I really didn't need to see the witches screaming "Macbeth! Oh, Macbeth!" in ecstasy while they climaxed in various positions; no, really, I didn't. One last thing: for the most part, the violence in this movie is fairly non-graphic. However, Lady Macduff's death scene was extremely disturbing, and I would advise viewer discretion while watching it. Overall, aside from a few minor irritations, this version of Macbeth is a winner. Not only does it throw Shakespeare into modern times, which is always a refreshing change, but it does so without coming across as over-the-top or just plain stupid (a trap its predecessor, Romeo + Juliet, didn't quite manage to escape). The actors are excellent, the alternating rock and trance music serves as a perfect soundtrack, and everything about it is entertainment at its best. This is the movie they should be showing English classes when covering Macbeth - guaranteed, students will pay attention.

• Interesting

  jn27-12006-10-10

  It's an interesting remake. My favourite would be the transformation of three witches into three schoolgirls. However, Wright just dresses them in school uniform. Their appearance in the film seems at odd times and places- far from realistic or even dream-like if that were the attempt. Could the mere sight of them at the beginning- allow for such crazy- way off- the planet hallucinations later on? I would have somehow liked to have seen their story more integrated with Macbeth's. I also would like to have imagined the Melbourne ganglands a darker and more seedy place than depicted. More Australian culture/angle asides from the accent, would have also made it a little more original. I guess they were going for the universal appeal. Nevertheless, stylistically it made sense. Idea-wise it was fresh. The acting was great for some- with the Shakespearean dialogue surprisingly suiting many. The most enjoyable (occasionally laughable) part was seeing the usual Aussie ocker actor speaking in a sophisticated dialect. Sam Worthington was a Macbeth you felt sorry for and reminds you of someone you know- up until his mad end- unless you do know someone who is a bit on the left side. Still, I walked away satisfied having enjoyed a good night of bloodshed, drama and insanity.