Titus (1999)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Tsubaki S

  
  Fantastic crazy fun, Shakespeare was truly ahead of it's time. Hopkins was great, same goes for the rest of the cast, specially Lennix and Cumming.

• Bruce B

  
  I was captured once tied and beaten for 3 days, I suffered less pain from that, then this movie. But it just goes to show you I WILL WATCH ANYTHING! Have to admit that the costumes were out of this world, and Anthony Hopkins proves he can play any part with 100 percent success, but I… More
  I was captured once tied and beaten for 3 days, I suffered less pain from that, then this movie. But it just goes to show you I WILL WATCH ANYTHING! Have to admit that the costumes were out of this world, and Anthony Hopkins proves he can play any part with 100 percent success, but I can only put one star on it, Now will someone take of these handcuffs and untie me.

• Alice S

  
  OH EM GEE Julie Taymor. You too, Will. I've never read this Shakespeare play and after seeing this textually faithful adaption (from what I hear), I don't understand why the play isn't more popular. It's like <i>Sin City</i> set in the Roman Empire.… More
  OH EM GEE Julie Taymor. You too, Will. I've never read this Shakespeare play and after seeing this textually faithful adaption (from what I hear), I don't understand why the play isn't more popular. It's like <i>Sin City</i> set in the Roman Empire. Amoral people committing violent acts for violence's sake. Heroes brought down by tragic flaws of hubris and nearsightedness. Inexplicable sacrifice made in the name of honor, revenge, piety. And the dialogue is hella sexy: Chiron: "You have undone our mother." Aaron: "Villain, I have <i>done</i> thy mother." Taymor's mishmash of genres and periods is so convoluted, yet compelling. I could have done without the little boy guide though.

• El Hombre I

  
  I read some of the negative reviews, and I think some just didn't get it, or didn't do their homework. The visuals in this film are fantastic and the acting is outstanding, with mention to Colm Feore as Marcus, Harry J. Lennix as Aaron the Moor. Then there's Jessica… More
  I read some of the negative reviews, and I think some just didn't get it, or didn't do their homework. The visuals in this film are fantastic and the acting is outstanding, with mention to Colm Feore as Marcus, Harry J. Lennix as Aaron the Moor. Then there's Jessica Lange as the lusty Tamora, Queen of the Goths and Anthony Hopkins proves he's worth every cent in the lead role and plays it with such a range of emotion and steers clear of becoming cartoonish in the most heavy-handed of Shakespeare's tragedies. Set against a backdrop of a pseudo-1930s fascist Italy, the sets and vehicles are perfectly appropriate for the play. A vengeful and bloody film. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view&current=Titus.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/Titus.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

• Jens S

  
  A very post modern version of one of Shakespeare's bloodiest tragedies, with all the well known ingredients: betrayal, murder, intrigues, revenge and revenge for revenge, really mean villains and broken heroes. The set and prop design refuses to be entirely antique or modern and… More
  A very post modern version of one of Shakespeare's bloodiest tragedies, with all the well known ingredients: betrayal, murder, intrigues, revenge and revenge for revenge, really mean villains and broken heroes. The set and prop design refuses to be entirely antique or modern and mixes old ruins with motorcycles, guns with armor, which makes for a really gorgeous, unique look. The cinematography of the film is just as beautiful, the soundtrack changes from classic drama scores to catchy jazz tunes, which creates some rather strong changes in mood. It's the rather bizarre and oddly humorous and symbolic scenes that do not quite work as well as the rest of this great adaption, but that's only a small minority of the whole 155 minutes. The whole cast gives really strong performances and when Titus reveals his final plot of revenge it's quite clear why Anthony Hopkins is truly perfect for the role, considering who else he played in movie history... Heavy, bloody and weird stuff but in the end very rewarding for Shakespeare fans with an open mind for new interpretations, just like Luhrman's Romeo and Juliet.

• Stephen M

  
  A decent adaptation of Shakespeare's most bloodthirsty play, "Titus Andronicus". Julie Taymor's refusal to stick to a specific historical setting or cinematic style creates some beautiful and dazzling images, however these anachronistic and stylistic juxtapositions… More
  A decent adaptation of Shakespeare's most bloodthirsty play, "Titus Andronicus". Julie Taymor's refusal to stick to a specific historical setting or cinematic style creates some beautiful and dazzling images, however these anachronistic and stylistic juxtapositions sometimes jar and distract one from Shakespeare's dialogue, which demands close attention from most of us. The plot is almost too grisly to be taken seriously, so the film is wise to opt for a blackly comic tone for the most part. Anthony Hopkins is fine as Titus, particularly moving when pleading for the lives of his two sons, framed for the murder of Bassianus. Alan Cumming was an odd choice for Saturninus, more closely resembling, as he does, a child throwing a temper-tantrum than a wrathful Emperor. For me, Harry Lennix delivers the best performance of anyone as Aaron, the Moor. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers could well be the most irritating actor ever to draw breath, and I would have liked his death scene to have been more protracted and far nastier.

• Curtis L

  
  A bunch of guys do a bunch of stuff, then they have an orgie and eat people.

• Michael S

  
  Very underated and visually captivating.

• Rico Z

  
  A very strange adaptation of one of Shakespeare's lesser-known plays. Anthony Hopkins is great and Taymor's direction is beautiful...the opening scene is classic.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"Titus" starts with General Titus Adronicus(Anthony Hopkins) returning to Rome from a great victory over the Goths led by Queen Tamora(Jessica Lange). To start the festivities, he sacrifices her first born son to the gods which does not make her happy.… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"Titus" starts with General Titus Adronicus(Anthony Hopkins) returning to Rome from a great victory over the Goths led by Queen Tamora(Jessica Lange). To start the festivities, he sacrifices her first born son to the gods which does not make her happy. After the death of the emperor, Titus is offered the position but he declines in favor of Saturninus(Alan Cumming) whose first decree is to marry Lavinia(Laura Fraser), Titus' daughter, but she is the true love of Bassianus(James Frain), the emperor's brother. Saturninus acquiesces and instead marries Tamora.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]William Shakespeare's violent play, "Titus" comes close to being about blowback and that our actions always have repercussions but regretfully takes the low road by implying that it is best to make sure all of one's enemies have been killed, lest they seek revenge and make one's life generally unpleasant. Julie Taymor imbues that general framework with her rich visual talents into creating a world that lies between Ancient Rome and the modern day.(I would have gone for Fascist Italy but would that have been too obvious?) Occasionally, she does go too far, and the movie verges on camp, especially in the casting of Alan Cumming. And though Anthony Hopkins is very, very good, especially in the later scenes, he does not strike me as having the gravitas of a military man.[/font]

• Matthew Y

  
  A great cast and fantastic art direction highlight this offbeat rendition of one of Shakespeare's lesser known works. What a lavish and fascinating film this is. Titus is an odd duck of artistic license and modernization of Shakespeare. Titus Andronicus was famously adapted by… More
  A great cast and fantastic art direction highlight this offbeat rendition of one of Shakespeare's lesser known works. What a lavish and fascinating film this is. Titus is an odd duck of artistic license and modernization of Shakespeare. Titus Andronicus was famously adapted by Julie Taymor in 1995, four years later she made this film. Having not read or seen the original play I assume much of the plot and dialog is from that work. At least it certainly feels so. The story is of a Roman General returning from war to find a dispute over the emperorship of Rome, eventually this title is given to Saturninus a cunning, deceitful and gullible clutz of an emperor who takes the Queen of the Goths (a fallen enemy who loathes Titus) as his empress. Typical betrayals, murders and misfortunes befoul pretty much the whole cast afterwards. Titus will stand out not for it's thespian appeal, excellent set's and costumes or even its star-studded cast. Instead it will stand-out for it's blending of modern times with Ancient Rome. Almost as if caught in a parallel out of a Twilight Zone episode, their are horses, than cars, stone dwellings, than modern buildings. The film purposefully smelts the architecture of Rome and present day together, mounts it on the scene and then tells its story as if nothing is abnormal. I'm not 100% sure what was attempted to be accomplished with this but it was an incredibly interesting film to watch. A pretty good and clearly undervalued Shakespearen play too! I'd put it in my top 5, though I'm not a Shakespeare fanatic.

• Alec B

  
  So very odd. Titus Andronicus is considered by many to be Shakespeare's worst play. I tend to disagree, because it's violent nature leads to interesting adaptations, like this film. The performances are little over the top but that works in this play because what happens to… More
  So very odd. Titus Andronicus is considered by many to be Shakespeare's worst play. I tend to disagree, because it's violent nature leads to interesting adaptations, like this film. The performances are little over the top but that works in this play because what happens to the characters is so ridiculous in many respects that it almost requires insane performances. An all around good adaption.

• Dimitris S

  
  Unlike the chaotically disjointed Across the Universe (Lennon would have debunked it!) and the expressive but cart-postal Frida (stellar art direction/acting),Titus deals with Taymor's fantasy more than one can imagine.Adapting Shakespeare needs a certain taste,well...adapting it… More
  Unlike the chaotically disjointed Across the Universe (Lennon would have debunked it!) and the expressive but cart-postal Frida (stellar art direction/acting),Titus deals with Taymor's fantasy more than one can imagine.Adapting Shakespeare needs a certain taste,well...adapting it like a visual,bombastic fandango is another thing.If there were a bit more craziness,it'd get the highest of scores from me,still...the technical and sociopolitical work is passionately endured,tragedy mingles with cataclysmic majesty.

• FanGirl B

  
  Probably my favorite Shakespeare to film. When it comes to sick twisted violence no body does it better than old Will. ;)

Read all 14 featured audience ratings