Macbeth (2015) review - Movie Thoughts (Chapter 34) 🔪
(**disclaimer: the
following thoughts are 100% my opinion, you do not have to agree with them -
film is inherently subjective and everyone's perspective is valid! Also, there
are probably spoilers in the following, read at your own risk. Now onto some
thoughts....**)
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| Source: IMDB |
The fascinating
array of works by William Shakespeare have been given the Hollywood treatment countless
times so many times. Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet and the iconic Emma
Thompson version of A Midsommar’s Night Dream; these stories are well-worn
in our heads by now, so why do we need more Shakespeare adaptations? The latest
iteration of the famed Scottish tale Macbeth presented a very simple
answer: they are still captivating to get lost in. Thane of Glamis Macbeth (Michael
Fassbender) being visited by three witches with a premonition for his eventual
ascension to the throne of Scotland murders King Duncan (David Thewlis) and his
reign as a tyrannical and paranoid king is a widely known story. But director Justin
Kurzel’s visually stunning cinematic marvel successfully combined a talented
cast, a gritty screenplay and a haunting darkness that crawled under your skin.
Intrinsically
connected to the mountainous rural landscapes of medieval Scotland, much of
this film’s impact comes from its breath-taking visual setting. Allowing nature
and the terrain to shine like a compelling supporting character evoked a dirty,
guttural and brutish tone complimentary of the visual war imagery. Sinister
shots of battle, drops of blood flying across the screen, public burning as
execution; this visual disposition for violence was uncomfortably captivating
in pulling audiences into the web of intrigue and murder.
Bookended by
battles, the striking use of colour in Macduff (Sean Harris)’s incursion below
Inverness Castle was an inventive way of adding extra depth to another violent
sequence and a haunting dramatic intimacy to the aggressive exchanges between Macbeth
and Macduff. The vibrant hue filled the screen and the final frame of Banquo (Paddy
Considine)’s young son Fleance (Lochlann Harris) running to a cloud of red with
a sword in his hand also evoked a disarming poignancy to the legacy of blood
that had temporarily tainted the throne of Scotland. The wild poetry of visual
construction was just as fascinating to devour and defined the pure and edgy
tone of Kurzel’s take.
His direction
was cinematically moving and raw, with a focus on eyes, faces and internal
introspection. A clear vision for how he saw these iconic moments and
characters, it had its own voice and energy that went beyond redundant
regurgitation. Dynamic editing by Chris Dickens and incredible cinematography by
Adam Arkapaw emphasized the great scope of those crisp battle sequences and emotionally
intensified the visual exposition.
An intense, thick
emotional weight gripped audiences from start to finish in a gruelling slog of death,
ambition, paranoia and destruction. Alongside those arresting visuals was an eerily
stunning score from composer Jed Kurzel; with multi-faceted pieces that also evoked
that dark and twisted atmosphere.
There was
also a fearlessness in the self-assured individuality of the screenplay. Writers
Todd Loviso, Jacob Kaskoff and Michael Lesslie were not been timid; sinking
their teeth into the depths of the macabre emotional turmoil and moral
complexity. Macbeth’s character arc was beefed up with relentless inner torture
from battle scars or blind ambition; while the fascinating Weird Sisters were
remarkably understated, lacking the clique warts, enigmatic mystery and even
some of their more famous lines. More surprisingly, Lady Macbeth (Marion
Cotillard) was menacing early but then shrunk to a horrified observer of her
husband’s tyranny; fading away to death without much fanfare.
Loviso,
Kaskoff and Lesslie also cleverly rejigged the play’s events in a respectful
and understated fashion. Turning point moments were boosted by new witnesses to
alter the perspective and amp up moral complexes at play within characters.
Malcolm (Jack Reynor)’s discovery of Macbeth at the dead king’s bedside foregrounded
his decision to run away to England in a lack of nerve. Lady Macbeth (Marion
Cotillard)’s presence and overt emotional reaction at the execution of Lady
Macduff (Elizabeth Debicki) and her three children was a chilling reminder of
her lack of family or love in her marriage by that point. Everything was
emotionally complex and vigorously compelling, jampacked with energy and
fervour that was fantastic to watch. A curious symbolic thread of children through
opening with the death of a Macbeth child and introducing that trauma into the mix
early, including a young girl and baby into the Witch trio and even the iconic
passage of Lady Macbeth washing her hands was positioned against the ghost of a
baby. As a man who had to bury his own child, Macbeth’s murderous order of execution
on three children was a stark, implicit continuation of that complete loss of
humanity through his actions.
Arrestingly brisk and brazen, this latest cinematic
iteration of Macbeth stayed knee deep in the medieval landscapes of
period-true Scotland whilst conveying the emotional nuance of this famous text.
A talented ensemble cast embodied with the story with a striking nuance that proves
the magic of Shakespeare is still alive and kicking.
8/10, 4 STARS
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