Macbeth

A raw and bleak hypnotic film that will forever remain out of the mainstream. Audience-averse and psychedelic, the film lyrically tells the story of Shakepeare's warrior exclusively through breathtaking cinematography, lighting and period music. Forget about a wartime historical spectacle or crowd scenes, the Kurzel brothers have gone all out. There are only a few action scenes, and most of them are shrouded in a mysterious misty shroud, or thanks to the aforementioned lighting work that creates countless breathtaking shots. The individuality of this film is impossible to deny. What is debatable, however, is to what extent this is an appropriate form of presentation of Shakespeare's legend, as in many aspects of the plot and in terms of the flow of the story, it is questionable to say the least and difficult to digest. (11/08/2015)

I can't help but think that if I had seen this film first, it probably wouldn't compel me to watch Shakespearean tragedies in the theater. It has everything this play should have, but at the same time, it's so incredibly unpleasant to watch that I didn't enjoy looking at it, despite the presence of my favorite actors. (02/21/2016)

The archaism of spoken language as a counterpoint to the language of film. Both Shakespeare and Kurzel tell their own stories, but they fit together like few others. If I hadn’t known "Macbeth" from school, the protagonists would have talked a hole into my head. However, you can take Arkapaw's images anywhere, print them on a large format and hang them in galleries. (12/07/2016)

A completely honest artistic ego-stroking affair that benefits from the great camera and focuses predominantly on silence. On top of that, the movie, with its look and approach to storytelling, reminded me of Valhalla Rising, which also pretends to be this epic, but in reality, you are just watching an overdressed nothing. On the other hand, I get that the creators set out to do a very unusual form of Macbeth. They wanted to be different and so they added an artistic cinematic touch to the classic Shakespearean ornate speech, which didn’t really sit well with me. I don’t know, if a specific number of falling-asleep scenes is the proof of quality art, but I feel that the more there are, the better it is for the fans. It is, indisputably, interesting, but I prefer more classic motives with historic dramas. (06/01/2016)

The best adaptation of Shakespeare for a really long time. Visually captivating, gloomy Scottish hills and verses interlaced with madness and fears. Fassbender as Macbeth and Marion Cotillard as his wife give their very best. Ambition, power, women. The age-old danger of temptation of a good man. If he succumbs, he will be damned. (02/02/2016)