Reviews

• 

  ★★★★★ review by maxwill on Letterboxd

  Directing: 10
  
  Performances: 10
  
  Cinematography: 10(0)
  
  Editing: 10
  
  Score: 10
  
  Everything: 10

  Director Justin Kurzel has managed to craft, directly from the brilliant source material by William Shakespeare, an astonishingly original, searingly visceral, 'Malickian', and most importantly delicately intimate study into the mind of Macbeth.

  The artistry and craft leaps from every frame of this film. It's fair to say that a person unfamiliar with either this play or the language of Shakespeare's time will have a hard time connecting to this film, but I was utterly transformed. I was lost within the world of this film and the minds of these people. Every setting, every stab, every punch, every tear, every cry... truly rung deep within my soul.

  I deeply felt every moment of this film.

  Macbeth is now my #1 film on my 2015 Ranked List.

  Congratulations.

• 

  ★★★★★ review by Wesley R. Ball on Letterboxd

  Finally. Justin Kurzel has finally delivered the dark, gritty, and bloody adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth that we've all been waiting for. But he brings us so much more than just grit and gore. Oh yes, the cinematography is simply spot on perfection, it's a crime that this film wasn't nominated for that alone. When Fassbender wins the Oscar this year, I'm going to pretend that it's for this film, because he was nothing short of amazing.

  Bursting with energy, looming with dread, and reeking of all the traditional dialogue necessary, Kurzel's Macbeth brings about one of the most visceral and gorgeously realized adaptations of the Scotland tale in cinematic history. The set designs were superb, the soundtrack was absolutely stellar, and Fassbender and Marion Cotillard blend together better than oil and vinegar. This adaptation relentlessly assaults the eyes with a nonstop glorious parade of cinematography, never disappointing my eyes with its jaw-dropping scopes and shots.

  Macbeth is probably my second favorite Shakespeare play, right next to Hamlet, but this adaptation, without a doubt, beats every other Shakespeare film I've seen into a bloody pulp. It's a brutally realized and unrelentingly gorgeous masterwork that never ceased to amaze me. Each moment feels as unforgettably paced as the next, building its momentum until it brings the audience back in for a completely spellbinding conclusion.

  Masterfully shot and accompanied by two intoxicating performances, Justin Kurzel's Macbeth is definitive proof that Shakespeare can be adapted to the screen without losing a certain mood in the story during the transition. It has a certain wide blockbuster-type feeling in the production, yet not a single moment made me feel like I was watching anything other than a Shakespeare adaptation. Nothing is lost, and so much more is gained, as a matter of fact. It's a riveting and unrelenting depiction of one of the best masterpieces from one of the best playwrights in history. Not to mention a serious Oscar snub this year.

• 

  ★★★★½ review by Eli Hayes on Letterboxd

  In my opinion, Macbeth contains what is undoubtedly some of the greatest camerawork in the history of cinema; Adam Arkapaw is the true star of this film (not that Fassbender and Cotillard don't knock it out of the park) and with this, TD s01, Top of the Lake, Lore, Snowtown, Animal Kingdom and Apricot, he has solidified himself as one of the world's finest cinematographers.

  This and The Assassin are, visually,
  
  the two most gorgeous films you'll see all year.

  Eagerly awaiting Assassin's Creed,
  
  which I think will be even better.

  listen:
  
  youtu.be/3_47EmTnKQA

• 

  ★★★★½ review by YI JIAN on Letterboxd

  You heard it before and you'll hear it again-- Macbeth is the most visually stunning film this year. Justin Kurzel must be a very disciplined director and Adam Arkapaw must be a very talented cinematographer (both, I shamefully admit, am not familiar with before today). From start to finish this film just keeps shooting giant, marvelous eye candies at us, so visually stunning my ears couldn't hear anything other than the sound of diabetes charging for me. Michael Fassbender is slaying his way towards the Oscars and he's not taking any prisoners. Marion Cotillard's monologue is both emotional and gripping, certainly a powerful asset for the film. Macbeth is madness clashing with beauty, blood clashing with dust, sword clashing with sword, an angry person that maintains his composure, a calm thunderstorm.

  Hail Macbeth!

  Hail Macbeth!

• 

  ★★★★ review by Alex Vlad on Letterboxd

  Braveheart meets Shakespeare.

• See all reviews