Henry V

Awful, awful, awful! I agree with the other review, this truly is a shocking portrayal of a classic Shakespeare play. Absolutely everything about this film is dreadful! The sound, lighting, costumes, the computer generated battle scenes!!! and above all, the acting! Please don't waste 154 minutes of your life on this film! I can't believe it's got 8 out 10 from other reviewers (must have been family and friends of Peter Babakitis) I'm supposed to write a minimum of 10 lines for this review, but it's difficult to find the right words to explain how bad this film is! It is utter trash! If you want to watch a master class of Shakespearean acting then watch the Kenneth Branagh version of Henry V, it's pure gold.

I can confidently say that this was the worst movie I have ever seen in my life. I had to watch this for a class, and was horrified at the extremely low quality of this "film". Many scenes have terrible lighting, making it very difficult to follow what happens in the movie. The sound is horrific, with background noises constantly going on and off as the film switches camera angles. At one point I heard an airplane flying by in the distance. The actors have no sense for Elizabethan English, and many vocal tracks have a weird echo effect that makes it seem as if the movie were shot in a warehouse. The props and costumes were simply juvenile; seemingly purchased from a toy store. I can go on and on. If you do end up getting/watching this, make sure to write a review to affirm my opinion.

Yes, of course it seems very low budget. I saw it in a university class here in Nedelands and we found it very inventive and full with interesting interpretations. Our professor showed differences with Branagh and Olivier versions. I found this one more psychologically interesting, and I recognize much of the computer imagery from Dutch medieval paintings. I like the melange of abstract sound. Some actors were good, Henry strong, Pistol foolish. Boy is funny, like a real boy. I think for learning about the play is a good choice. More scenes of the bad side of Henry as aggressor. Yes it is not the most richly produced, but somehow it feels more realistic. Maybe more for Shakespeare scholars, but I liked it and my friends thought it more fun than the others.