The Tempest
Reviews
Filipe Manuel Neto
**A film that seemed very promising, but ended up being very disappointing.** I have to say that I have never read _The Tempest_ and I needed, before seeing the film, to read a little about the original play. Personally, I really like the works of William Shakespeare and have read several of his plays. And I've also noticed that the most staunch defenders of the renowned author's work are sometimes quite suspicious of cinematographic approaches. To some extent, I understand them, but I am also able to understand the need to make adaptations, cuts or changes. Perhaps the most shocking or questionable, in this case, is the change of sex of the central character, who would be a man and here was played very well by Helen Mirren. The script essentially follows the story that almost everyone will know better than I, who have not yet read the book: Prospera, the Duchess of Milan, is expelled from her lands by King Alonso of Naples and her brother Antonio. Accused of witchcraft, she flees with her daughter, Miranda, and manages to reach an island inhabited by a creature, Caliban. Twelve years later, Miranda is a beautiful young woman, of marriageable age, and chance blows again in Prospera's favor when the men who removed her from power board a ship that, by magical arts, sinks in a furious storm, forcing them shipwrecked on her island. The film is pleasant, but it suffers from a major flaw that is common in films with theatrical material, particularly Shakespearean adaptations: it sounds contrived and overly staged when it should sound more natural and realistic. Cinema wants actors not to act, speak or behave as if they were in a theater. If I wanted to see the original play, I would buy a theater ticket. I understand director Julie Taymor's effort to maintain fidelity to the dialogues and source material, but the truth is that she should have made the necessary adaptations, and sought to achieve greater realism and authenticity, both through the dialogues and material given to the actors, as through his personal effort in directing the scenes. The affected modes and complicated dialogues are not suitable for a cinematographic work. With these notes, it's easy to understand how much the cast's efforts were conditioned by the material received. The cast is good, it has several great actors, with proven evidence, but it doesn't manage to give us a truly good final product that corresponds to their merits and talents. As I mentioned, Helen Mirren is the main actress, in the role of Prospera. It was a risky gesture, both for her and for director Taymor, but the truth is that Mirren did a good job and proved to be up to the challenge. Another actor worth mentioning is Djimon Hounsou. In the role of Caliban, the actor showed great physical expression and good vocal modulation. Also, Ben Whishaw leaves us an interesting and well done work, although more contained and heavily supported in CGI. The rest of the cast just do what they really need to do. On the negative side, I would highlight Felicity Jones, for the total absence of presence and charisma, and also Reeve Carney, who is too sugary and idealistic. Technically, the film leaves a lot to be desired, and in many ways it still appears to be an incomplete project. The cinematography is pretty bad: it's incomprehensible why they didn't think of betting on a more vibrant, colorful and spectacular visual, where the CGI gained additional strength and the Hawaiian landscapes were better enjoyed and more impressive! Editing is regular, but the film's pace is still quite slow and sometimes tiring. Although some costumes try to bring to the film an aroma of the Renaissance period, the fact is that the clothes worn by the actors lack any kind of historical realism. There is a lot of green screen in the film, but the visual and sound effects are weak, and the CGI used is amateurish.
Movie Recommendation
Henry's Crime2010-01-14An aimless man is sent to prison for a crime he did not commit, an ex-con targets the same bank he was sent away for robbing.More...
Page Eight2011-08-28Johnny is a long-serving MI5 officer. His boss dies suddenly, leaving behind an inexplicable file which threatens the stability of the organisation.More...
Glorious 392009-11-20A mysterious tale set around a traditional British family on the eve of World War Two. Oblivious to the looming shadow of World War II, the wealthy Keyes maintain a confident façade in the British countryside until daughter Anne becomes an unexpected pawn. Her accidental discovery of secret recordings creates a rift in the family.More...
The Bridge2008-06-20A group of German boys is ordered to protect a small bridge in their home village during the waning months of the second world war. Truckloads of defeated, cynical Wehrmacht soldiers flee the approaching American troops, but the boys, full of enthusiasm for the "blood and honor" Nazi ideology, stay to defend the useless bridge.More...
The Secret Life of Bees2008-09-17Set in South Carolina in 1964, this is the tale of Lily Owens a 14 year-old girl who is haunted by the memory of her late mother. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father, Lily flees with Rosaleen, her caregiver and only friend, to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past.More...
Special Forces2011-11-02Afghanistan. War correspondent Elsa Casanova is taken hostage by the Taliban. Faced with her imminent execution, a Special Forces unit is dispatched to free her. In some of the world’s most breathtaking yet hostile landscapes, a relentless pursuit begins between her kidnappers who have no intention of letting their prey escape them and a group of soldiers who risk their lives in pursuit of their single aim – to bring her home alive. This strong, independent woman and these men of duty are thrown together and forced to confront situations of great danger that inextricably bind them – emotionally, violently and intimately.More...
Like Crazy2011-10-28A British college student falls for an American student, only to be separated from him when she's banned from the U.S. after overstaying her visa.More...
High Strung2016-04-08When a hip hop violinist busking in the New York subway encounters a classical dancer on scholarship at the Manhattan Conservatory of the Arts, sparks fly. With the help of a hip hop dance crew they must find a common ground while preparing for a competition that could change their lives forever.More...
Bedtime Stories2008-12-24Skeeter Bronson is a down-on-his-luck guy who's always telling bedtime stories to his niece and nephew. But his life is turned upside down when the fantastical stories he makes up for entertainment inexplicably turn into reality. Can a bewildered Skeeter manage his own unruly fantasies now that the outrageous characters and situations from his mind have morphed into actual people and events?More...
Side Effects2013-02-07A woman turns to prescription medication as a way of handling her anxiety concerning her husband's upcoming release from prison.More...
Captain Phillips2013-10-10The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.More...
Thor2011-04-21Against his father Odin's will, The Mighty Thor - a powerful but arrogant warrior god - recklessly reignites an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.More...
The Wolf of Wall Street2013-12-25A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration. Based on Jordan Belfort's autobiography.More...
Inception2010-07-15Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: "inception", the implantation of another person's idea into a target's subconscious.More...
Titanic1997-11-18101-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater tells the story of her life aboard the Titanic, 84 years later. A young Rose boards the ship with her mother and fiancé. Meanwhile, Jack Dawson and Fabrizio De Rossi win third-class tickets aboard the ship. Rose tells the whole story from Titanic's departure through to its death—on its first and last voyage—on April 15, 1912.More...
Inside Out2015-06-17When 11-year-old Riley moves to a new city, her Emotions team up to help her through the transition. Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness work together, but when Joy and Sadness get lost, they must journey through unfamiliar places to get back home.More...
Back to the Future1985-07-03Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.More...
PK2014-12-18A stranger in the city asks questions no one has asked before. Known only by his initials, the man's innocent questions and childlike curiosity take him on a journey of love, laughter and letting go.More...
Joker2019-10-01During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.More...
Rush2013-09-02In the 1970s, a rivalry propels race car drivers Niki Lauda and James Hunt to fame and glory — until a horrible accident threatens to end it all.More...
Similar Movies
D.E.B.S.
2005-03-25The star of a team of teenage crime fighters falls for the alluring villainess she must bring to justice.E.T. the Extra-Terres...
1982-06-11An alien is left behind on Earth and saved by the 10-year-old Elliott who decides to keep him hidden in his home. While a task force hunts for the extra-terrestrial, Elliott, his brother, and his little sister Gertie form an emotional bond with their new friend, and try to help him find his way home.The Last Samurai
2003-12-05Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him learning to respect the samurai and the honorable principles that rule them. Pressed to destroy the samurai's way of life in the name of modernization and open trade, Algren decides to become an ultimate warrior himself and to fight for their right to exist.Sunrise: A Song of Tw...
1927-11-04A married farmer falls under the spell of a slatternly woman from the city, who tries to convince him to drown his wife.Bridget Jones's Diary...
2001-04-13Bridget Jones is an average woman struggling against expectations. As a New Year's resolution, Bridget decides to take control of her life, starting by keeping a diary in which she will always tell the complete truth. Her charming boss takes an interest in her, and she cannot stop running into a rather disagreeable acquaintance whom Bridget cannot help finding quietly attractive.Lost in Translation
2003-09-18Two lost souls visiting Tokyo -- the young, neglected wife of a photographer and a washed-up movie star shooting a TV commercial -- find an odd solace and pensive freedom to be real in each other's company, away from their lives in America.Wilbur Wants to Kill ...
2002-11-08The strange comedy film of two close brothers; one, Wilbur, who wants to kill himself, and the other, Harbour, who tries to prevent this. When their father dies leaving them his bookstore they meet a woman who makes their lives a bit better yet with a bit more trouble as well.Dead Poets Society
1989-06-02At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.Boys Don't Cry
1999-09-02A young transgender man explores his gender identity and searches for love in rural Nebraska.King Kong
1933-03-15Adventurous filmmaker Carl Denham sets out to produce a motion picture unlike anything the world has seen before. Alongside his leading lady Ann Darrow and his first mate Jack Driscoll, they arrive on an island and discover a legendary creature said to be neither beast nor man. Denham captures the monster to be displayed on Broadway as King Kong, the eighth wonder of the world.Zatoichi
2003-09-06Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople.Am I OK?
2024-06-06Lucy and Jane have been best friends for most of their lives and think they know everything there is to know about each other. But when Jane announces she's moving to London, Lucy reveals a long-held secret. As Jane tries to help Lucy, their friendship is thrown into chaos.Journeys from Berlin/...
1980-01-11An epic meditation on psychoanalysis, the Baader-Meinhof, feminism, and pre-revolutionary Russia.Love Is the Beginning...
1984-03-07Story concerns two friends, Freya and Irmtraut and their relationships with the same man, Traugott, who finds it impossible to choose between the two women.Change of Fate
1987-07-28A lawyer defends a wealthy woman accused of murder. She claims it was self-defense. The lawyer is not sure.Harry Potter and the ...
2001-11-16Harry Potter has lived under the stairs at his aunt and uncle's house his whole life. But on his 11th birthday, he learns he's a powerful wizard—with a place waiting for him at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As he learns to harness his newfound powers with the help of the school's kindly headmaster, Harry uncovers the truth about his parents' deaths—and about the villain who's to blame.Harry Potter and the ...
2002-11-13Cars fly, trees fight back, and a mysterious house-elf comes to warn Harry Potter at the start of his second year at Hogwarts. Adventure and danger await when bloody writing on a wall announces: The Chamber Of Secrets Has Been Opened. To save Hogwarts will require all of Harry, Ron and Hermione's magical abilities and courage.Harry Potter and the ...
2007-07-08Returning for his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry is stunned to find that his warnings about the return of Lord Voldemort have been ignored. Left with no choice, Harry takes matters into his own hands, training a small group of motivated students to defend themselves against the Dark Arts.The Piano
1993-05-18When an arranged marriage brings Ada and her spirited daughter to the wilderness of nineteenth-century New Zealand, she finds herself locked in a battle of wills with both her controlling husband and a rugged frontiersman to whom she develops a forbidden attraction.Evil Dead II
1987-03-13Ash Williams and his girlfriend Linda find a log cabin in the woods with a voice recording from an archeologist who had recorded himself reciting ancient chants from "The Book of the Dead." As they play the recording an evil power is unleashed taking over Linda's body.