Macbeth - Review

Today we went to Newcastle (our first Uni trip!). First, we went to the Baltic. All the exhibits were fab but the film viewing one was particularly interesting to me with how exactly they set out the screens. In a small room, there was loads of small screens, each playing a different shot or continuing a shot from another screen. 

I then went to the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle (I have been here before to see Only Lovers Left Alive which was an amazing experience and an amazing film- one of my favourites!) to see Macbeth. The Tyneside also have a small museum of cinematic relics such as cameras, which really enhanced the viewing experience for me.

Even had a cheeky glass of wine at the cinema!

Macbeth (Justin Kurzel, 2015) - Review

Macbeth clearly has it's own visual style and is a beautiful film. It's colour filters, lighting, camera angles all have thought put into it and it shows. However, I felt that the film was too arty-farty and took less time to focus on the storyline and the characters. 

Yes, it is faithful to the play (after studying it for A2 I know it like the back of my hand) but I still found it hard to follow and who was who. Fassbender gave a wonderful performance (accent a bit dodgy in places but it didn't take away from the cinematic experience) but I didn't feel any sympathy towards him like in the play. He is a barbarian, and yes he is this in the play too but in the play you feel empathy towards him when Lady Macbeth dies.

This brings me nicely to Lady Macbeth. Another wonderful performance but I was not happy with the infamous 'out damned spot' scene. Again, this might just be my personal preference, but I always thought of it to be insane and vicious, but it was shown in the film to be emotional and sad.

The very beginning scene with Lady Macbeth's child's funeral was a nice touch after the play only infers that she has lost a child, which made us sympathise with them.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience, sat in the back row with my glass of wine, more than the film to be honest. Not recommended if you want a strong narrative driven film with its convoluted and glossed over plot and characterisation. But a great film to analyse for its visual style and more for independent viewers than regular multiplex viewers. 

4/10