Movies in Review: "Coriolanus"

Coriolanus...hmmmmmm...I watched the trailer, and it really looked like a very interesting watch. There was plenty of movement, and action, and what I gathered from the narrator on the trailer, the story was intriguing. What I didn't notice from the trailer until later was that there were great shots of the story, but no speaking. Well once I bought my ticket and sat to watch the movie I began to clearly understand why. For those of you not familiar with "Coriolanus", myself included, it was originally a Shakespearean play that has been adapted to film. The trailer was clearly meant to draw in people like myself who have no idea about the story, and lure you in with the action...~gasp~

Within 20min I found my self cringing in my seat, and almost brought to tears because my ears were bleeding so bad. It would be unfair of me to say that I am not a fan of Shakespeare because I can appreciate the art behind his work. The problem is that I don't understand what the characters are saying...Uuuuugggghhhhh. It was so annoying to sit there while the characters are speaking English, but you wish the movie had subtitles just so you can understand what is being said. You know how Shakespeare plays are. They speak 15 words just to say a 3 word sentence if spoken in plain English. I"m sorry, but this movie was way over my head to even comprehend it. It was very theatrical, and there was also some humor, which I didn't get until after other audience members laughed...smh.

I actually contemplated leaving after the 1st 20min, but It was the only movie I had planned to watch in that theatre, and I had already paid for my ticket AND also bought popcorn. So unfortunately I sat there and tried to understand what I could. You should have seen me sitting there actually concentrating on everything that was being said and done, just so I could get and understanding of the story, and I think I got it for the most part.

Ralph Fiennes stars as Coriolanus, and made his directorial debut with this film. Wow he sure picked a tough one, but as a Shakespeare interpreter I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. I love Fiennes as an actor. One of my favorite movies starring him being The Constant Gardner. His performance in Coriolanus was no different. He is a very strong actor who I found to be superb as Coriolanus. Jessica Chastain was cast as his wife. I enjoyed watching her, and found humor in the fact that almost every scene she was in required her to shed a single tear on cue...lol. Vanessa Redgrave was by far my favorite and in my opinion, the strongest piece in the film. I think Gerard Butler should have been replaced with someone with stronger chops. He seemed a bit out of his league. But I could be wrong, given the fact that I couldn't understand what was being said...lol

Unfortunately, it would be unfair for me to rate this movie. I can say that I don't believe adapting a Shakespeare play really worked as a directed film. The drama failed to come across the same as it would have if it were performed on stage. Please take what you can from this review and base your decision on that...N/A (unable to rate....sorry :( )