[Finesse]

You heard it here, folks. In case you haven't yet heard, Joss Whedon, acclaimed director of The Avengers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Toy Story, and Firefly, decided to do something incredibly daring. He directed a remake of a Shakespeare play. Now, it may not seem like a big deal to some of you guys because how hard could it be, right? The script is already written for him!

Well, it's actually a HUGE deal because EVERYONE does Shakespeare. We've all seen the b-list remakes that our English teachers make us sit through every year. In 1993 Keanu Reeves starred in a movie adaptation of Much Ado. My cousin is in college for film production and his semester assignment is to direct a movie of a Shakespeare play. EVERYONE does Shakespeare, and Joss Whedon is in the top tier of his profession. He just directed the highest first-week box office grossing movie of all time. (I'm pretty sure The Avengers even won an award for winning so many awards.) This movie could be a huge embarrassment if he does it poorly... but if the movie is as good as the trailer, Mr. Whedon should have nothing to worry about.



As a fan of both Joss Whedon AND Shakespeare, I'm excited for this one. I trust that it'll be a movie worth watching, and that English teachers all around the world will be creaming their nickers in excitement.

Before you criticize the story for seeming cliché, keep in mind that it's probably cliché because Shakespeare's stories have been adapted and plagiarized in many ways over the years, making almost all of his plays seem hackneyed and boring.

Cheers and thanks for reading.

PS: It's actually out now if you want to see it, but chances are you'll have to go to a specialized theater like a Cinema Arts Centre, as it's not a big-name blockbuster.

[Dismas]

The only Shakespeare remake I've seen was the 1996 one with DiCaprio. Was pretty interesting, although I always find the old English cheesy.

[Finesse]

The only Shakespeare remake I've seen was the 1996 one with DiCaprio. Was pretty interesting, although I always find the old English cheesy.

If you want something really cool that's true to the story, historically accurate and downright sexy, check out the 1996 rendition of Hamlet. It's AMAZING, and it absolutely blew my mind that it wasn't made in at least 2007. Fun fact: The guy who directed it also decided to play Hamlet himself.
Oh, and Robin Williams is in it.

Unfortunately, they DO keep with the Early Modern English used in Shakespeare's original works.