Featured Audience Ratings

• Bruce B

  
  This one is hard to keep up with because of languaged used, old english. Has a good plot. 3 stars

• Cynthia S

  
  Apparently very well made. Apparently very wonderful actors. Apparently Shakespeare was a genius. Apparently I just don't understand it....and I tried for an hour. I was lost....

• Alexander D

  
  The part of THE TEMPEST that goes too far beyond awful is its number of asinine characters. Of all the great I've heard about Shakespeare, I'm convinced this was the fault of the screenwriter rather than the bard himself. Mind you, the gender change of the main character… More
  The part of THE TEMPEST that goes too far beyond awful is its number of asinine characters. Of all the great I've heard about Shakespeare, I'm convinced this was the fault of the screenwriter rather than the bard himself. Mind you, the gender change of the main character in order to offer Helen Mirren a role, does not even matter when looking at the rest of the ensemble. Among the most obnoxious characters are Trinculo (Russell Brand) and Caliban (Djimon Hounsou). Russell Brand, for whatever reason, seems to find screaming at the sky a decent imitation of a Shakespearean soliloquy. It comes across, instead, as an impression of a 16th century spin-off of popular video game The Sims. Djimon Hounsou is an instant reminder of Gollum from the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, prancing around oddly, dressed in almost nothing, speaking more cryptically than Shakespeare himself.

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: Helen Mirren, Felicity Jones, Reeve Carney, Alfred Molina, Russell Brand, Djimon Hounsou, Chris Cooper, Alan Cumming, Tom Conti, David Strathairn, Ben Whishaw Director: Julie Taymor Summary: After years stranded on a deserted island, exiled duchess and sorceress Prospera… More
  Cast: Helen Mirren, Felicity Jones, Reeve Carney, Alfred Molina, Russell Brand, Djimon Hounsou, Chris Cooper, Alan Cumming, Tom Conti, David Strathairn, Ben Whishaw Director: Julie Taymor Summary: After years stranded on a deserted island, exiled duchess and sorceress Prospera (Helen Mirren) exacts vengeance on her enemies, whose passing vessel she has shipwrecked. What she doesn't know is that the ship also carries a potential suitor to her daughter (Felicity Jones). My Thoughts: "I hadn't heard of the film, seen a trailer, or read anything about it. But I seen Helen Mirren's name attached to it so I of course picked it up. Now not doing any of above and then seeing it was a WTF kind of moment for me. As I went back and forth from thinking bout turning it off or keep watching, I of course went with keep watching it. The longer I watched the more fascinated I became by this unconventional film. It's funny, entertaining, and it captivates you whether you want it to or not and draws you in. Not a film all will like, but it's sure one you can't help but watch."

• Walter M

  
  Once the Duchess of Milan, Prospera(Helen Mirren) has suffered through twelve years of exile which have done little to lower her ire at those she finds responsible. One day, she takes revenge by casting a spell through the sprite Ariel(Ben Whishaw) that capsizes the boat… More
  Once the Duchess of Milan, Prospera(Helen Mirren) has suffered through twelve years of exile which have done little to lower her ire at those she finds responsible. One day, she takes revenge by casting a spell through the sprite Ariel(Ben Whishaw) that capsizes the boat Antonio(Chris Cooper), the new duke, is traveling on with King Alonso(David Strathairn) of Naples, amongst others. Her teenaged daughter Miranda(Felicity Jones) manages to assuage her anger just in time. So she has them desposited safely on a beach somewhere on the island, with Alonso's son Ferdinand(Reeve Carney) arriving safely elsewhere. Now, with that all done, Caliban(Djimon Hounsou) would like to file a complaint... If all Julie Taymor had brought to this version of William Shakespeare's venerable play was its great look, impressive design and Helen Mirren, it would have gone a long way towards putting this definitely in the win column. Sad to say, she doesn't stop there, going overboard on the visual effects.(Just remember that the play is the thing.) Putting together a great supporting cast is usually a very good idea in cases like this. But here, it verges on stunt casting in a couple of prime examples and Taymor does little to rein them in, throwing the movie off balance in the bargain. That having been said, I now believe that Chris Cooper would fit in well no matter what movie he appears in.

• Jeff T

  
  The new film version of THE TEMPEST STARRNG JULIE TAYMOR - oh wait, is that the title? Maybe not. Maybe it's just THE TEMPEST. But it's always oh, so clear who the star is here. It should be Helen Mirren, no question - but it's just not. Everybody is a pawn in… More
  The new film version of THE TEMPEST STARRNG JULIE TAYMOR - oh wait, is that the title? Maybe not. Maybe it's just THE TEMPEST. But it's always oh, so clear who the star is here. It should be Helen Mirren, no question - but it's just not. Everybody is a pawn in Julie's game, and the game here seems to be a buzzing round of How Fast Can You Bore An Audience To Distraction? I was really looking forward to this film - I love (or thought I loved) Shakespeare on film, but this movie seriously made me think about that. I began to question any moment of joy in the Brannagh films while slogging through this pretentious swamp; once I got outside I could breathe fresh air and remember how much fun these plays can be when well-made as films. THE TEMPEST is hard, no question, but it has moments of great joy and great fury in it, moments of monumental sadness and rueful wondering - here there's just kitschy effects and lots of zippers on the costumes. The zipper-y costumes are cool, though, I'll give her that - and I honestly can say that's the only thing I'll give her. To waste Helen Mirren is a crime that should be punishable by death - or perhaps the punishment should be to just watch this movie over and over. For my money, it's the same thing.

• Mark K

  
  There's a lamentable tendency to feel the need to dress up and stylize everything these days to attract an audience, and Julie Taymor's adaptation of William Shakespeare's is in that camp of 'outside the box'. While there's nothing wrong with trying to… More
  There's a lamentable tendency to feel the need to dress up and stylize everything these days to attract an audience, and Julie Taymor's adaptation of William Shakespeare's is in that camp of 'outside the box'. While there's nothing wrong with trying to reach a broader audience with the play, the execution of such concepts often obscures the multiple layers of the story by employing the tricks of a seemingly clever concept. In short, the wrong things get emphasized, and the dynamics of the story are completely changed far from the Bard's original purpose. That's exactly what happened here: The beautiful story, with its prose delivered expertly, is smothered in concept, as well as sound an music signifying nothing... to the point where it will confuse first timers to Shakespeare more than recruit them to enjoy it. It pushes you away emotionally, instead of drawing you in. You ought to be attracted to some and repelled by other characters, but I just wasn't. I believe there's a subtlety to concept version of classics, and this Taymor product looked like she didn't fully embrace her original concept. She could have done much more and maybe that would have worked, or dialed it back to reach a balance, and still be different from a traditional telling. Helen Mirren is a fine actress, one of the best of her peers, and I have seen versions of the stage where Prospero is turned into a woman(renamed Prospera). Those were almost universally failures.) I thought this would work with someone of talent like Mirren doing the role, instead of the poor versions I've seen. Coupled with the ability to blend fantasy with reality in a film medium. I was hoping for something special. It's just - not. The visuals are interesting, but add nothing to the story, really. What Taymor seemingly forgot is that it's not the visual aspect of the play that's compelling 400 years after it was written, but the language and the characters, and their complex relationships. It's a complex mix, and tinkering with it invites problems. The character of Caliban is one example. Djimon Hounsou is good, but again, we just start to get an idea of good vs. evil/nature vs. nurture. They could have done more with the dynamics of Caliban and Ariel's relationship with a female magician, but they don't. Even the romance just gets going between the lovers when when we get distracted by the horribly out of place Russell Brand. He's just in a different movie, and his mugging here doesn't pass for acting alongside these other greats. The humor seems forced, and not natural, and the scenes with the clowns slow the action to a stop. Again, I know they put him in to attract an audience, but it's a gimmick, not an inspired choice. Part of what's missing is the time to enjoy and get to know the characters, Kings, clowns, spirits. There's a lot of music and sound to the point where there's no subtlety left for any of the scenes. Since she had her roots in her musical adaptation of Lion King, you'd think she could balance sound and action, but not here. Also missing is the farewell speech by Prospera. I understand why it was left out considering the concept Taymor chose, but it's a great goodbye, and there must have been a way to work it in. Even where the lines are untouched, there's an emphasis on delivery than on meaning. It's meant to keep our attention, such as the use of Prospera actually doing magic. With the visual aspect comes a lessening the value of the magic she could perform. Is it a total miss? No, but the story is so good, it doesn't need all the window dressing. Just tell the story.

• Alec B

  
  Immediately following my viewing of this I began to wonder if I had actually watched anything or if I had experienced a nonsensical dream. If it was a dream at least it could be explained away as such, rather than a film that people had actual control over. Taymor's crazed… More
  Immediately following my viewing of this I began to wonder if I had actually watched anything or if I had experienced a nonsensical dream. If it was a dream at least it could be explained away as such, rather than a film that people had actual control over. Taymor's crazed stylistic choices made her 'Titus' a dark joy . . . with 'The Tempest' she has officially gone off the deep end and made a film that makes little to no sense. I know the story of Shakespeare's play, but following watching this film version I was confused as to what actually occurred.

• Sunil J

  
  Disappointing but interesting. Worth watching for Mirren,

• Matt S

  
  Another HIFF flick. It's tough to get into at first, but it's definitely worth the ride once you start to understand the Shakespearian speaking. Also, the locations are pretty awesome (ok, I'm biased since it was shot in Hawaii), but still you've got a stellar cast… More
  Another HIFF flick. It's tough to get into at first, but it's definitely worth the ride once you start to understand the Shakespearian speaking. Also, the locations are pretty awesome (ok, I'm biased since it was shot in Hawaii), but still you've got a stellar cast and director who had an interesting vision for the retelling of this play.

Read all 10 featured audience ratings