Hamlet (1990)

Featured Audience Ratings

• KJ P

  
  This is a very faithful, even if exaggerated attempt to recreate a shakespearean play, centuries after the material. After the good, but less faithful DiCaprio version of Romeo and Juliet, Mel Gibson tries his luck at playing the Prince in "Hamlet." I must say that I am… More
  This is a very faithful, even if exaggerated attempt to recreate a shakespearean play, centuries after the material. After the good, but less faithful DiCaprio version of Romeo and Juliet, Mel Gibson tries his luck at playing the Prince in "Hamlet." I must say that I am thoroughly impressed with the outcome of this film. It stays true to most of the originally scripted playwrights and tries to cover new grounds in making it a feature-length film. The pacing is a little slow at times, but I accepted it, because that is how the play already is. Some of the dialogue seems to make fun of shakespearean language which makes a few scenes a little uneven, but the entire story is present and I had a great time watching it. "Hamlet (1990" is a great film!

• Melvin W

  
  Hamlet: The play's the thing, wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.  "Shakespeare's classic tale of vengeance and tragedy." I'm not a huge fan of Shakespeare, when it comes to the movie adaptions or just the original plays, but I can enjoy a… More
  Hamlet: The play's the thing, wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.  "Shakespeare's classic tale of vengeance and tragedy." I'm not a huge fan of Shakespeare, when it comes to the movie adaptions or just the original plays, but I can enjoy a well made Shakespeare adaption from time to time. The only two I've seen that I've liked are both from Zefferelli. He made the ultimate classic, Romeo and Juliet and then his version of Hamlet was pretty good as well. It is the only version I have seen, so I have nothing to compare it to. Still, while I can appreciate this movie, I still can't fully say I like because it just isn't to my taste. There's really no reason going over plot because everyone knows the plot before going in. Mel Gibson does do a pretty good job as Hamlet. His soliloquies are pretty good and most of the time when I see an actor do a soliloquy, I want to kill myself. This has all the necessary and annoying elements that come along with Shakespeare. It's overly dramatic and its acting is way over the top in the drama department as well. But that just comes with the territory. Glenn Close and Helena Bonham Carter were also good in their respected roles as Gertrude and Ophelia.  Going in you should probably know if this movie is for you or not. Shakespeare fans should adore it, although I guess some of the previous ones are considered better. People who hate Shakespeare will hate it. As far as the few adaptions I've seen of Shakespeare, this would have to be my second favorite. The major scenes of Hamlet are well done, so that in itself makes the movie worth a look.

• Alexander D

  
  I saw around twenty minutes of this and then I just gave up. The "To Be, or Not to Be" soliloquy was boring and overly-dramatized.

• Wildaly M

  
  I think this is one of the better versions of Hamlet particularly because of two aspects: Mel Gibson and Helena Bonham Carter. I absolutely think Gibson gives the best "to be or not to be" speech in all the Hamlet adaptations I've seen. Also, I think he portrayed Hamlet… More
  I think this is one of the better versions of Hamlet particularly because of two aspects: Mel Gibson and Helena Bonham Carter. I absolutely think Gibson gives the best "to be or not to be" speech in all the Hamlet adaptations I've seen. Also, I think he portrayed Hamlet as he truly is with all his broodiness and internal conflicts effectively played out. Bonham Carter is certainly a convincing Ophelia. I didn't particularly care for the angle they gave between Hamlet and his mother, Gertrude (played by Glenn Close). It also cut a lot from the source material, which I didn't particularly like either.

• Chris W

  
  Zeffirelli just knows how to do this sort of thing, and do it right. I like the cast, and they all do a good job, but I don't really think this is my favorite version of the story. It does stray from the material, and it gets a bit boring at times, but all in all, you could do… More
  Zeffirelli just knows how to do this sort of thing, and do it right. I like the cast, and they all do a good job, but I don't really think this is my favorite version of the story. It does stray from the material, and it gets a bit boring at times, but all in all, you could do a whole lot worse.

• Wahida K

  
  I really tried my best to enjoy the Movie but I just couldnt. I guess because I m not a Hamlet fan. Each to their own. You can present me any "Version" of Hamlet, remakes, I still wont enjoy it even not then when the character of Hamlet is played by my fav Actor, infact… More
  I really tried my best to enjoy the Movie but I just couldnt. I guess because I m not a Hamlet fan. Each to their own. You can present me any "Version" of Hamlet, remakes, I still wont enjoy it even not then when the character of Hamlet is played by my fav Actor, infact that would make it worster! Shakespeare YES- his Hamlet NO

• Thomas B

  
  Not as faithful to the text as Brannagh's but holds it's own. Full review later.

• Conner R

  
  Honestly, it's the best Hamlet adaption to date. It has the best overall tone and accuracy in detail to the source material. The acting was phenomenal from nearly everyone and it proved once and for all that Mel Gibson isn't just an action star. It's extremely morbid,… More
  Honestly, it's the best Hamlet adaption to date. It has the best overall tone and accuracy in detail to the source material. The acting was phenomenal from nearly everyone and it proved once and for all that Mel Gibson isn't just an action star. It's extremely morbid, but that's exactly what Shakespeare envisioned. The look of Denmark is perfect, clearly a lot of time was put into the environment in which the story unfolds.

• Jake .

  
  Personally, I would have to say that this is the best film version of Hamlet that I ahve seen. It suceeds in several places that the others do not. Primarily, it is actually fairly visual with the sets and costumes and such. They are historical, but also artistic. I really didn't… More
  Personally, I would have to say that this is the best film version of Hamlet that I ahve seen. It suceeds in several places that the others do not. Primarily, it is actually fairly visual with the sets and costumes and such. They are historical, but also artistic. I really didn't not expect to like this one at all, so the fact that it was good really surprised me. Helena Bonham Carter is the perfect Ophelia, and Mel Gibson was pretty good as well. That also surprised me; I have never been that impressed with him before. It parts Hamlet was kind of comic, which didn't really seem to fit in with the film. However, Shakespeare IS fairly comedic, so it was true to the work at least. Idk, the humor just didn't really blend with the rest of it. Hamlet is a classic, there is no doubt about it, and really this film version comes close to doing it justice.

• Alice S

  
  Mel Gibson's natural skittishness makes a subtle and humane madness for Hamlet, unlike Branagh's madcap schtick. I like Helena Bonham-Carter's sassier, cattier Ophelia but the rosemary scene was a little too indicated with her dead eyes and babyish mannerisms. I… More
  Mel Gibson's natural skittishness makes a subtle and humane madness for Hamlet, unlike Branagh's madcap schtick. I like Helena Bonham-Carter's sassier, cattier Ophelia but the rosemary scene was a little too indicated with her dead eyes and babyish mannerisms. I don't really mind that half the play is cut because stage and film are completely different media. Zeffirelli uses what is necessary to paint a complete cinematic story.

• Tom E

  
  A cheap copy/remake -- Kenneth Branaugh did a much better job with more TLC

• Dean M

  
  This is an okay version of Shakespeare's tragedy.

• Cameron J

  
  Through the underdevelopment, underused characters, slowness and difficult to follow points, Zeffirelli's cenimatic take on "Hamlet" is very well acted, fairly well directed and predonimantly intriguing, holding a strong cast and the well-captured compellingness of the… More
  Through the underdevelopment, underused characters, slowness and difficult to follow points, Zeffirelli's cenimatic take on "Hamlet" is very well acted, fairly well directed and predonimantly intriguing, holding a strong cast and the well-captured compellingness of the timeless tale. It is a well done recreation of a very well done classic.

• Alec B

  
  Maybe not as bad as it's made out to be but it's not that great either. Hamlet is difficult enough to pull off on stage, but it's even harder on film. I'd give Mel Gibson and A for effort if I could but I just can't. However the real problem here is that yes… More
  Maybe not as bad as it's made out to be but it's not that great either. Hamlet is difficult enough to pull off on stage, but it's even harder on film. I'd give Mel Gibson and A for effort if I could but I just can't. However the real problem here is that yes we all know that Hamlet may have an Oedipus complex, but do we really need to see him dry hump his own mother? Really?

• Yinalí R

  
  Classic.

• Constanza B

  
  Franco Zeffirelli gives Hamlet a go with this determined and simple version, actors like Mel Gibson and Glenn Close. The actor's translate quite well to the scenes in which Hamlet gleefully toys with those he's trying to confuse. In fact, this Hamlet was likely an… More
  Franco Zeffirelli gives Hamlet a go with this determined and simple version, actors like Mel Gibson and Glenn Close. The actor's translate quite well to the scenes in which Hamlet gleefully toys with those he's trying to confuse. In fact, this Hamlet was likely an important motivator for Kenneth Branagh in his decision to film an elaborately unabridged, four-hour version of the play six years later.

• Sarah B

  
  Where did Zeffirelli go wrong? Gibson is very very very poorly cast. And you should never mess with the text.

• Lea L

  
  good movie..

• Dimitris S

  
  I am not biased because of Gibson's appearance as the prince of Denmark,nay.You Franco are sometimes despicable.Where are the glory days of Romeo and Juliet,according to your filmography,you had your share with cinematic opera like Othello.So what happened to your vision?Stuck in… More
  I am not biased because of Gibson's appearance as the prince of Denmark,nay.You Franco are sometimes despicable.Where are the glory days of Romeo and Juliet,according to your filmography,you had your share with cinematic opera like Othello.So what happened to your vision?Stuck in the middle of Elsinore palace?Either this or you are blind for the bard would probably denounce you,this version sucks my lad,if it weren't for the veteran actors,it'd be garbage...

• Lee K

  
  im not a shakespeare fan at all, however gibson was awesome in it

Read all 20 featured audience ratings