Macbeth (2018) - Macbeth (2018) - User Reviews - IMDb
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(II) (2018)

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7/10
Worthwhile Macbeth Production
sweavernm-819-73301017 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This 2018 Macbeth movie places each scene in a theatrical fantasy setting, actually the same approach the 2021 Joel Cohen film takes, but with a very different look. This production uses very young talent, but that doesn't mean they are not skilled and effective actors... they are. Mark Rowley takes on Macbeth with energy and passion. As to passion, I admire the effective exploration of the erotic relationship between him and Lady Macbeth, something Joel Cohen completely left out of his 2021 film, and it suffered for it. I think Shakespeare wanted that erotic love to be a part of the bond that the couple hold, and makes it easier to understand Lady Macbeth's manipulation.

Production values in this 2018 film are very high with fascinating transitions from scene to scene. You are not presented with a realistic setting at all and if you are open to going along with it it's a fun ride.

The grand dinner scene is played out much more thoroughly than in Cohen's film. This is when Lady Macbeth learns that her husband has had Banquo murdered and you can see in her response that she sees everything falling apart. The scene lasts ten minutes here and less than three in Cohen's version.

I really think Joel Cohen watched this movie, there are numerous similarities in the approach and even the framing of key shots.

All the scenes are presented as if wrapped into a giant, transparent 'Globe' and there is the figure of an older man, a writer in his study, who observes everything, sometimes with apparent surprise. I am supposing this is the author himself? All in all this 2018 is worth watching and I admire the efforts of all who were involved.
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10/10
You either like this type of thing or hate it
madermis5 July 2019
Mark Rowley made me cry. In the "Is this a dagger..." soliloquy, I honest to god cried it was so good. Al Weaver and Akia Henry, they rocked it. Truly amazing.

You either like the anachronistic versions or don't. If you don't like them, then this is not for you. If you are open to them, then this is truly a 10 out of 10 version of Macbeth.
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10/10
Mark Rowley is spectacular!
amilois31 March 2019
Very different to other adaptations I've seen, wasn't sure if I would enjoy the way it was filmed but Mark Rowley absolutely nailed Macbeth. His descent into madness was beyond impressive. He played the part so well I fell in love with the film. I've watched it several times and love his performance more each time.
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1/10
It's awful, the worst of all adaptations I've seen.
apjc27 April 2018
If you want to watch Macbeth on film simply type it into your search bar, you'll find so many earlier good versions. This seems intent on not only taking film to theatre but your local amateur dramatics production. The original Globe theatre in London, Shakespeare's hangout, would literally create tapestries to embroider the narrative.This film seems to think a few actors mouthing the words in a cupboard or dark room is artistic interpretation. Well I know a dark place you can shove it, the worst ever.
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Why so low?
klaus-grabner22 April 2020
Of course Shakespear adaptions are hard to judge, but I'm a bit surprised to see such low rating on this one to be honest. The actors are top class, the cinematography is simply brilliant and the soundtrack by Jed Kurzel is out of this world.
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an experiment
Kirpianuscus4 July 2018
An experiment. present so often in theater. vision about a classic play of a director. to define it as bad or good is, in essence, a question of taste in this case. for me, it is an eccentric proposition.nice for Akiya Henry as inspired Lady Macbeth and for beautiful game of scenography. for the desire to create a large perspective about play universe. the only sin - impression of easy way. the mix between film and scene, the photography reminding the art gallery , the dark spaces and the portrait of Macbeth - Mark Rowley is not the best choice for the lead role - are , in too many moments, only nice tries for be original. all defines it as not exactly an adaptation for a new century but as a form of sketch "ad usum Delphini" . or Macbeth, against time, generations or taste remains Macbeth. but, sure, it could be a film for lovers of challenges. a not bad one. but to obvious be "original".
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10/10
Fantastic fresh theatrical adaptation
helenmurray-6474526 May 2020
I really enjoyed this version of a play I know well. It's very much theatre on film, so don't go in expecting a movie, but if you love theatre it's a great choice. I really liked the sets, the actors were fantastic, especially Macbeth and it was nice to see Lady Macbeth played without the edge of hysteria so many productions give her. Shakespeare's work is so rich we see new things in it even after 400 years and each generation discovers a way it speaks to them. This production merges the traditional with the 21st century and I think it gets away from the current obsession with realistic violence and high fantasy (looking at you Game of Thrones) and back to the psychology of the individuals, which is timeless and universal.
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8/10
The Greater The Vision, The More People Get Left Behind
atomicsweat12 May 2018
--Fantastical adventurous retelling. Made for the ever changing scope of cinema and the viewers of this millennium, not yesterdays. Some may call it the worst adaption; but one would have to assume that they are the type that believe theater should remain the same as thousands of years ago and never change. If Shakespeare had technology of today I would believe he would create similar shows with great sets and costumes with surreal backdrops and not consider such work as amateur or savage. In other words He would not work out of a textbook for the way that theater was eons ago. The Greater the Vision, the more people get left behind. That is exactly where they should be left, behind.
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9/10
Great adaptation
TMT6021 November 2018
Director made a great job and scenography was surreal Sadly not any idiot understands art of cinematography but any gas internet acces
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1/10
Just horrible
lupus-8069729 April 2018
A film produced by idiots, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
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8/10
captivating and creative film-making
tommoore_dewi24 April 2018
Macbeth is an old classic, and this film re-tells the story in a very creative, fresh way, utilising modern techniques to produce something original and engaging. it combines film-making with a theatre vibe, which is really interesting. nice to watch something different that breaks the mould. the performances of the main actors were great too. give it a watch.
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10/10
Matches Shakespeare's genius
vannturner23 November 2018
Macbeth is the darkest of Shakespeare's plays and this adaptation for the screen matches the genius of Shakespeare's vision. It is breathtaking cinema. Everything about it coheres: the sparse theater sets (enhanced by draftsmanship graphics), the minimalist haunting music, the camera work, the editing out of the comic banter, the anachronistic costumes, the casting (black Scotsmen?) and even the lighting-the sun never shines here. And the acting! Did I mention the acting? What glorious acting: a good man prodded into killing his Liege Lord, the torment of conscience and the madness punishing him like the Eumenides in Greek tragedy. It is a glorious and cosmological work. The vision behind it matches the genius of Shakespeare himself. (Imagine, in it is a recurrent old man, a projectionist, who-throughout the action-is viewing a gaudy Macbeth from the silent film era.) If you approach this film not as mere entertainment, but as a probing into the nature of things, it will leave you dumbstruck. Yes, it is THAT good.
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3/10
Problematic Conception
brutusalwaysminded12 November 2021
The main drawback I found watching the film was in its conception of Macbeth as complete fabrication. Scenes take place underneath, within or above a transparent phantom house. The actors all have different English accents so there is really no coherent wider/national context to which we can relate unless the impression is to convey a kind of diaspora of corruption (which the king tapping globe image may suggest). It's not that the insistent visual theme of transparency up against Shakespeare's text is anachronistic, it's self negating: the entire impression of text vs. Image becomes meaningless. And although the character of Macbeth descends into nihilism by the last act the movie certainly shouldn't. What is the human recourse when the only measure of structure against insanity is itself a phantom? Fairly bleak considerations here. 3 Stars for the great visuals.
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10/10
Great Adaptation ...... Great Acting
HusseinHilal10 June 2019
This Movie Shows You The Art of Acting ...... It's All Depend On Imagination ......... Great Work & Great Crew .
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1/10
Watched 5 minutes of it
tempted_dragon24 April 2018
This movie was added to the was so bad couldnt even watch it list. Which is only around 20 movies or so. So yes its that bad.
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1/10
Pretentious Visuals, Unbelievably BAD Acting
tehknologik7 September 2018
I couldn't get through this butchering of Macbeth.
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6/10
They FILMED a STAGE production / play.
Vancouver779 April 2022
This version of "Macbeth" was promoted as an "adventurous cinematic experience". So I was expecting, you know, a movie, and an "adventurous" one at that. What this *actually* is, is a stage production. So the concept is basically filming actors doing the Shakespearean play in a theatre, on a stage. If you like going to the theatre to see plays, then perhaps you will like this. Certainly all the actors are top-notch and their performances are excellent. However, if you're like me, and hoping for a MOVIE, then you're going to be disappointed. Like me. If I wanted to watch a stage play, I would go to a theatre. Thanks, but no thanks.
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