Much Ado About Nothing Blu-ray/DVD (MGM) Review

Much Ado About Nothing Blu-ray/DVD

Studio: MGM

Dec 20, 2013 Issue #48 - November/December 2013 - HAIM By Laura Studarus

Critics often dismiss Much Ado About Nothing as one of Shakespeare’s most lightweight works. Joss Whedon’s (The Avengers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) adaptation will do nothing to dissuade this opinion. Set at a high society Pasadena dinner party, there’s no hiding that the story is a thinly-veiled attempt to prove that the tongue cuts the sharpest, but Shakespearean anachronisms often fall flat in light of, say, any form of modern communication.

Thankfully, leads Amy Acker (Beatrice) and Alexis Denisof (Benedick) navigate the quarreling lovers’ verbal sparring with ease. However, talent drops off sharply from them, the bottom of the barrel being Nathan Fillion, who seems more interested in scenery chewing than verisimilitude.

Whedon dotes on his subjects, filming them in decadent black and white. But all the artistic posturing in the world can’t hide the fact that, in the end, this is just pageantry. Or, to borrow from another one of The Bard’s famous plays, it’s ultimately a lot of “sound and fury, signifying nothing.” But hey, at least everyone’s having a good time. (www.muchadomovie.com)

Author rating: 6/10

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Average reader rating: 3/10

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Jen
December 20th 2013
10:54pm

Actually, Fillion was the highlight for me. And even coming from a consummate Shakespearean actor the likes of Tom Hiddleston, I’m not alone in this assessment.

Tami
December 20th 2013
11:12pm

Fillion has been singled out by many as not only being a highlight of this particular version of Much Ado but his Dogberry has been praised as being “one of the best ever”.

Mischief Robot
December 22nd 2013
8:12pm

I disagree with you about the talent, although it took me several viewings to become font of Nathan Fillion’s performance. But now I think it was great! And Fran Kranz, I thought, was really good.

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