Macbeth - movie review

Macbeth 

Plot: 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.
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine
Director: Justin Kurzel
Rating: 15
Runtime: 1hr 53 mins
Release Date: Friday 2nd October 2015

William Shakespeare's tale of Macbeth is by far my favourite of his plays. The violence and political intrigue is usually fascinating to watch and the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are some of the most significant characters in any literary work. So, when I had heard that a cinematic interpretation was under development starring Michael Fassbender as the titular character, my expectations were incredibly high. It is now with regret that I must say that these expectations were not quite met.


With a stellar cast of capable actors, I was disappointed with many of them. Whilst he may have had moments of excellence, Michael Fassbender was quite underwhelming as Macbeth. For at least the first half of this movie, he had little emotion in what he was saying and delivering these immaculately crafted lines with no expression and a mumbling monotone voice. It was such a shame that his performance was inconsistent because there were a number of scenes where his representation of Macbeth changed and altered into something award worthy. One example of this was a scene in which Macbeth is hallucinating about witnessing a ghost of a dead friend. The mental torture and struggle that Fassbender conveys is amazing to watch and it was those scenes in which I wanted the entirety of the movie to be focused on. Fassbender may not necessarily be the person to blame for this. Director Kurzel could of had a definitive interpretation of the character and, for me personally, it just didn't seem to work. Other cast members also gave adequate performances which added to my disappointment because I know that they are all much more capable than this. David Thewlis as King Duncan wasn't too bad but his limited screentime halted any further development of his character. Sean Harris and Paddy Considine as Macduff and Banquo respectively gave decent performances with both actors nailing some moments of pure emotion yet failing in others. The highlight of the performances though, belongs to Marion Cotillard. With English not being her first language and the Shakespearean dialogue not being the most up to date form of speech, her depiction of one of the most prolific characters was mesmerising to watch. It was clear to me that she understood every word she spoke whilst the same cannot be said for other actors. She stole every scene she was in and more importantly, her performance had done the character of Lady Macbeth justice.

Obviously, I can't really comment on the story apart from the fact that writers Jacob Koskoff, Michael Lesslie and Todd Louiso rarely detract from the source material which is a blessing. What I can discuss however, is the execution of this adaptation. As far as the pacing of the movie is concerned, it often flits between engrossing drama or tiresome debates. Scenes which stand out for me deal with Macbeth's psychological breakdown and seeing his wife having to deal with it. What wasn't so entertaining to watch were moments within the film dealing with Scottish and English politics as well as the tiresome confrontations between Banquo and Macbeth. I never felt a bond between the two or a form of brotherhood. It wasn't because of a lack of chemistry between Fassbender and Considine but rather the director rushing through any emotional connection. With the runtime less than two hours, the movie speeds through a play which could easily last for more than three hours. In fact, I would say that if this film was around two and a half hours, it would have had more time to fully flesh out the characters.

Without a doubt, the highest praise that I could give the film was the overall aesthetics. Colours were a vital aspect to the movie with an effective use of grey and black during the opening fight scene signifying the darkness and the intensity of the forthcoming battle. The orange and yellow backgrounds for interior scenes displayed an atmosphere of dread and enlightenment as Macbeth and his wife begin to make their fateful decisions. And finally, the most exhilarating scene is the final confrontation between Macbeth and Macduff. The red smoke that filled the battlefield added to the violence portrayed on screen making for a truly intoxicating finale. Again though, it was unfortunate that the other hour and thirty minutes did not follow in the same suit. The action scenes featured were also something worth of note. They were incredibly stylised and maybe a bit too over dramatic yet, the great choreography and realistic violence added some life into moments of severe weariness.

With Kurzel now directing the new Assassin's Creed film starring Fassbender and Cotillard, I am slightly concerned. I have no concern that the action sequences would be thrilling and true to the video game, but the pacing and directing of the actors has me worried. I'm still very hopeful though that this could bring about the new renaissance of video game movies. As far as Macbeth is concerned, it does seem to be style over substance. My only hope is that when future cinematic adaptations of the Scottish play are made, they can combine the action scenes from this film with more convincing performances and direction.

My Verdict: 5.5/10

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