OPHELIA

Daisy Ridley ('Star Wars: The Force Awakens', 'Murder on the Orient Express') gives voice to Ophelia, a lady in waiting to Queen Gertrude (Naomi Watts, 'Diana', 'The Impossible'). The narrative follows the basic structure of 'Hamlet', whereby the killing of the king leads to a disturbance in the court. Gertrude marries the king's brother Claudius (Clive Owen, 'King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword') shortly after the funeral, which obviously doesn't leave Hamlet (George MacKay, 'Captain Fantastic') feeling too red-hot. Unbeknownst to viewers, the stories we have heard previously about the fate of Ophelia are wrong. What follows is the character's true recount of what really went down in Denmark, and a story righted about the madness and suicide of Hamlet's true love.

Look, 'Ophelia' is like that other Hemsworth brother: so much wasted potential. Although the film offers fun little embellishments beyond the original story, it remains quite conservative. It feels like we were waiting for a dance number to David Bowie's 'Golden Years' at the climax of the story. Yeah, yeah, I know it's already been done, but I think the story needed a little more gusto. The costumes are extravagant, the cinematography offered some great shots of the location, and it was technically sound. The story just never proved to be exciting - we were in a taxi for the whole journey, no take-off and no landing. As a viewer, I struggled with my loyalty to the original story. I couldn't help but sit there with my Grade 12 English teacher's voice in my head, talking over the intricate plot that is 'Hamlet'. We're talking a story that covers self-enlightenment, altruism versus self-determination, inherent good and evil, plays within plays, and a microcosm set to teach the world about itself.

'Ophelia' was fine by way of entertainment, but it doesn't do justice to the intricacies of the original story. It doesn't portray Hamlet's quick-witted nature, Polonius's shit-stirring, or Claudius's grappling with guilt. It's incredible in every element of filmmaking, but it lacks the true heart and the layers of Shakespeare's work.