Titus
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Movie Reviews of Titus
Movie Review: the parts exceed the sum
Summary: 4 Stars
A beautifully insane presentation of a play full of gullibility, naivete, happenstance, mood swings, and "black rage." The silliness that was late Rome is captured with flair. It may not be a great play but it does give Hopkins plenty of opportunities. Shakespeare on film doesn't get much better than this with excellent use of special effects that have the ring of authenticity. The imagery is the thing and its music is wonderful.Movie Review: great film; an unusual interpretation of shakespeare
Summary: 4 Stars
this film is insane. it makes the book seem more traditional. there are cars and guns. but the acting is pretty superb and the story line is actually pretty cnsistent with the book. please please don't use drugs when watching this film; you might go crazy...Movie Review: It's a little unfocused...
Summary: 3 Stars
I was really looking forward to `Titus', but as the film progressed it became apparent that Julie Taymor's stage oriented mind couldn't balance out the big screen quite as nicely. The film because too cluttered and chaotic for its own good, relying too heavily on a visual structure to carry the film, which actually did it detriment. The story loses some of the intimacy needed to convey emotional points because the director was having her actors race around the screen, filling it instead of dwelling within it. The approach to a stage production and that of a big screen production is very different, and Taymor didn't quite get that. Still, she did squeeze out some tremendous performances, especially from Jessica Lange (who just devours this role with ferocity unmatched) and the cinematic efforts here are truly memorable. I wouldn't say necessarily that one should avoid this film, but one should know what to expect. The film lacks any restraint; instead becoming extremely brash and overwhelming at times. Yet, it is beautifully constructed in moments and certainly contains some memorable visual delights. I just wish that it could have all come together a little more soundly so as to truly deliver an epic masterpiece. In the end it feels a little `style over substance' instead of `stylized substance'.Movie Review: Where for art thou Shakespeare?
Summary: 2 Stars
Julie Taymor's highly stylized, complex vision of "The Lion King" on stage is a testament to her prowess as a power player in the theatrical arena; main issue is it doesn't translate to the highly ambitious, but oftentimes, unintentional insanity that is TITUS.
I have an affinity for Hopkins (who doesn't?), but even he can't save this jumbled flim-flam from the very beginning. The ticker-tape parades, the "Dr. No-esque" costumes of the wannabe emperors, the Goth "teens" obsession with a simpering, unimpressive, slightly *unattractive* (could they put more color into her face please!) Lavinia, were completely unbelievable.
One thing I disagree with several of my fellow Amazonians is the violence in the film. I didn't notice an overabundance of torture, mayhem, and destruction (the end result of Lavinia is the pathetic aspect of that scene with her Uncle Andronicus-but the film doesn't show the Goth sons actually mutilating her). It's violent, but not gratuitous violence (the ending of the film is perhaps the most visually nauseating; be prepared).
The 2 stars are reserved purely for Harry J. Lennix. I've been a fan of his work for a very long time, and to see him get justifiable screen time as THE top villain in a film filled with them is gratifying.
Movie Review: elements are better than the work as a whole
Summary: 2 Stars
Titus Andronicus is not one of Shakespeare's better known works. Its rather obsecure because its an early work and quite frankly, its not very good. Its a blood and guts "tragedy". What little story there is amounts to setup between massacres. Its basically a horror movie. The characters are underdeveloped. The motivations are all very simplisitic. Its all about the violence.
The film has interesting backgrounds and costumes, but they generally have nothing to do with the story. They are fun in an arts for arts sake sense. But nothing can really rehabilitate or elevate the core story. The production design is ten times better than the story itself.
The cast is also far better than the story. Everyone does a fine job with what they are given. Laura Fraser puts in an amazing performance in a role that could go wrong in so many different ways. Hopkins is Hopkins of course.
And so in the end, you have an A-list team producing a c-list story. If you can get past that, there are interesting fragments of things in the film that can be enjoyed.