Much Ado About Nothing

Possibly the most surprising thing this year is not that Joss Whedon made a decent film, but that Joss Whedon made a decent SHAKESPEAREAN film.  Much Ado About Nothing is one of the sweetest films this year, and it's a shocker.  Joss Whedon has a history of terrible films (to me) and TV shows (to me).  He made the god-awful Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the mediocre-but-too-long Firefly, and Angel.  His filmography isn't that great either as he wrote the horror-comedy Cabin in the Woods, which ranks as one of those films that work better the first time you watch, but gets considerably worse the more times you watch it.  He then directed and wrote possibly the most overrated, piece of mediocre work ever: The Avengers.  In short, he's not a really special director.  However, Much Ado shows some very promising things in Whedon's future.

So what is this film even about?  Well, it's based on the Shakespeare comedy of the same name.  Beatrice and Benedick fall in love with each other.  That's really most of the plot, but yeah, it is enough to analyze love and what it truly means!  Many of Joss' regulars pop up in this film.  Even the guy who played the Agent from the Avengers shows up.  Then, there's Joss' probably best friend ever, Nathan Fillion.  There's the stoner kid from The Cabin in the Woods, but he is used in short spurts.  Amy Acker from that one god-awful sitcom shows up as Beatrice.  And......well, that's as much as I can describe the film.

This film is just pure fun.  It's very funny, but it isn't gut-bustingly funny, which is welcomed after being tired by all the recent slapstick crap that I've been watching.  The jokes are very witty and it provides some great entertainment.  Many Shakespearean nerds will probably love this film while the non-initiated such as myself will enjoy it too.  It's spoken in Shakespearean language and because of that many times some of the actors struggle with their lines.  However, Amy Ackner and Nathan Fillion both do it seamlessly.  Fillion has a short time in the film, but he's like a basketball game.  Their better in short bursts.  Acker steals the show, however, as Beatrice.  She handles every line expertly and is a delight to watch.  I cannot wait to see where she will go from here.  If anything, I'm excited to see what she will do.

With all that said, this film does have it's occasional gripes about it.  First off, like I hinted in the previous paragraph, many characters are tossed in.  Some characters were explosive on the screen and I wished they stayed.  However, like an explosion, they are gone in a matter of seconds, but their mark was made.  Then, I have some problems with the guy who played Benedick, Alexis Denisof (Thank you RT cast and crew section).  He's not that convincing as an actor, and he was (contrary to Fillion) severely overused.  I know he's the main character (or secondary protagonist), but he's nothing like Acker or Fillion.  He's just a bore.  Also, since it uses original text in the film, some of the dialogue is a little out-of-place.  Many Shakespearean plays set in modern setting have this problem, mainly Romeo + Juliet (but that film was terrible on all levels).  I feel like no modern man or woman would say these things, but I digress.

Overall, believe the hype!  Much Ado is an amazing film that has wondrous things going on in it.  Whedon may have directed some terrible films, in my opinion.  But here Whedon makes up for nearly every wrong.  Much Ado is charming, sweet, witty, and excellently acted (for the most part).  It's this year's funnest movie and I had a blast with it.  Whereas Wolf was more insane and fast and Man of Steel was disappointing, Much Ado is the complete antithesis of both films.  It's also a beauty to look at.  The black  and white format with occasional colors make it one of best shot films of the year.  A feast for the eyes and mind, Much Ado About Nothing revitalizes my faith in cinema.

8/10