Film Review: Much Ado About Nothing

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Normally when a director is taking a break while filming a film like The Avengers they would relax and do nothing, not Joss Whedon he makes another movie in secret then springs it on the world and sends geeks going crazy over a William Shakespeare play.  Much Ado About Nothing is something very special, it’s not one of Shakespeare’s strongest of works but with this cast and a little Whedon magic it may be one of the best films based on his plays.

Much Ado About Nothing is a story of love and games, both good and bad.  On one side we have Claudio (Fran Kranz) who falls in love with the daughter of Leonato (Clark Gregg) and the machinations of Don John to ruin this love and the coming marriage.  The other side we have Benedick (Alexis Denisof) and Beatrice (Amy Acker) whose banterous arguments show a spark between them that is obviously love, yet they fight against it.  Through deceit and treachery one relationship is in jeopardy while the other comes closer, with the outcome being pretty much Much Ado About Nothing.

I had to read Much Ado About Nothing at school and have seen it in movie form and play form before.  Modernisation of the play tended not to work for me so knowing that this was something that Whedon had done had me worried, but very interested.  “In Whedon We Trust” should be a motto to remember though because with this cast he creates a little magic and creates something that fans will likely not forget in a long while.

Seeing Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker on screen together again brings out the fan boy in me, I was a big Buffy and Angel fan so seeing Wesley and Fred back together again made me smile.  To their credit though their characters Benedick and Beatrice are very much different than their previous roles but they still have the chemistry that pulls you into their scenes and really brings Shakespeare’s words to life.  Add to this Clark Gregg as Leonato and Sean Maher as the devious Don John and you can’t help but love it.

For me though taking the focus away from the main story the scenes with Nathan Fillion and Dogberry and Tom Lenk as Verges steal the show as the comic duo who hold the key to the films conclusion.  You don’t have to be a Fillion fan to enjoy his obsession with being called an ass, or his reaction to being attacked by Conrade (Riki Lindhome).  If you are a fan though you’ll love every minute of it as its typical Fillion at his best.

For all the positive about Much Ado About Nothing there are some negative elements.  Some just won’t adjust to the style of language used, when it comes to Shakespeare they never do.  Once they get used to it though then there is the somewhat out of date views of women, war and love.  If anything you have to adjust and just take it as it is and remember just when these plays were written.  They were based on a different time and gladly things have changed.  To Whedon’s credit he has stuck to the text as it is and shown it for all its good or bad.  In typical Josh Whedon style he has managed to turn one of the Bard’s plays that I have little time for into a movie that I enjoyed and will watch again very soon.

Much Ado About Nothing is available on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom from October 7th

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