I believe that my indifference to this movie is more the fault of the play than the movie itself. For all my love of Shakespeare's comedies, and even a few of his tradgedies, I have to say that Hamlet is more a tradgedy because it's over four hours long and most of that time is taken up by a raving lunatic complaining about his dead papa. Oh, don't get me wrong, I know the story, I know the ins and outs of this play, but unfortunately, as far as movies go...Hammie should've stuck to the play, where people, bored to tears, can sneak out at Intermission.
Whoops! I did say intermission! This is the first movie I've ever seen WITH an intermission. Yes, folks, it's almost like being cultured, isn't it?
Setting the long long long speeches aside, let's concentrate on the acting, which was, as in any Kenneth Branagh production, excellent. The man knows what he's doing, that's obvious. The sets: gorgeous, the costumes: lovely, which was nothing unexpected. So, if I had had mute on and music playing in the background, I would've loved this movie to bits.
But it's the talking, the words, the constant blah blah blah that keeps this movie from being exciting. I realize this was a play (no one could forget, they never shut up), but when making it into a movie, why not add a little...erm...zing? Come on, Kenneth! Wake up and smell the nineties! Although I and Cathy, my movie pal, and Jane, faithful companion to Ganesha and Myself may be all too happy to watch your handsome frame and face flash across the screen at every interval, there are people, mainly heterosexual men, who would rather see 1)War 2)Gratuitous nudity. This is not to say you shouldn't remain faithful to the bard's masterpiece, but who's to say that Ophelia wasn't only a lunatic, she was also and ardent...er...nudist? And what about Hamlet? Why not make him a schizophrenic who calls himself Hamster and runs around...erm...naked? It would keep us audiences awake, maybe even for the entire four hours!
The movie was well done, it kept faithful to the entire (entire!) play, not cutting out anything (!), and fully capturing the insanity of Ophelia and Hamlet both.
Let's cut to the Cameos. And MY! Weren't there a lot of them. Jack Lemmon (well done), Robin Williams (very convincing), Billy Crystal (couldn't quite keep the new york accent down, but good nontheless), Charlton Heston (I am Spartacus!), Rufus Sewell (Who only blinked nine times throughout the whole movie), Brian Blessed (not really a cameo, but had really really cool contacts), Reece Dinsdale (not a cameo either, he was Gildenstern...who looks a hell of a lot better with hair and without pock marks--see Young Catherine), And others who I forget.
My advice: Watch this movie with caution, and only if you are 1)An ardent Shakespeare fan, 2)In love with Kenneth Branagh or Kate Winslet, or 3)A Raving looney.