I don't know why I'm caught up on all of Joss Whedon's films without watching any of his TV shows. It seems futile. While I enjoyed The Avengers and Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog to nearly a casual fan degree, I really disliked Serenity. His filmography has a tendency to require pre-requisite viewings. You gotta watch Firefly to enjoy Serenity (though some may disagree but I really didn't get it). You gotta watch the other relevant Marvel cash-grabs to enjoy The Avengers. And it appears you have to watch Angel to enjoy Much Ado About Nothing as its cast reunion is more-or-less the best thing it's got going for it (and you have to watch Buffy before Angel. That's a lot of commitment, Joss). Unfortunately, at first, Much Ado feels more like an awkward student film than anything cinematic.
I eased into it a bit after a while but its pacing, tone and sense of humour really didn't seem to click. It feels like the black and white choice is just to cover up the occasionally poor photography. But okay, this is supposed to be breezy, lightweight, peering into a Whedon-style get-together type of affair. I can deal with that. But Shakespearean dialogue brought unchanged to a modern setting still doesn't work for me. It was passable in Ralph Fiennes' Coriolanus but intolerable in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet. Only a handful of actors seem to be able to execute it with conviction and they single-handedly save the film. Amy Acker in particular is a highlight who feels like the actress who most wants to be there. Fran Kranz is the heart of the film, so glad he's proving his chops after impressing in The Cabin In The Woods.
Clark Gregg manages to not let Agent Coulson define him forever and Nathan Fillion reliably delivers the comedy goods. Unfortunately it's Alexis Denisof who spoils the party. Some love him, but he was absolutely awful and charmless. I really disliked it when the attention was drawn to him. However, there are moments when the tone really does work and I enjoyed it, and I think it was mostly due to when the soundtrack choices really hit the spot. The factor that would've helped clear a lot for me is some clear exposition to the staging of the story. I kind of got the character's relationships but I wasn't clear on who they were exactly with their backstories. I guess that's the obstacle with bringing Shakespeare to modern day since you can't break the concept to clear the ambiguity. Fortunately, the pros outweigh the cons and lifts Much Ado to more-or-less above average.
6/10
I eased into it a bit after a while but its pacing, tone and sense of humour really didn't seem to click. It feels like the black and white choice is just to cover up the occasionally poor photography. But okay, this is supposed to be breezy, lightweight, peering into a Whedon-style get-together type of affair. I can deal with that. But Shakespearean dialogue brought unchanged to a modern setting still doesn't work for me. It was passable in Ralph Fiennes' Coriolanus but intolerable in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet. Only a handful of actors seem to be able to execute it with conviction and they single-handedly save the film. Amy Acker in particular is a highlight who feels like the actress who most wants to be there. Fran Kranz is the heart of the film, so glad he's proving his chops after impressing in The Cabin In The Woods.
Clark Gregg manages to not let Agent Coulson define him forever and Nathan Fillion reliably delivers the comedy goods. Unfortunately it's Alexis Denisof who spoils the party. Some love him, but he was absolutely awful and charmless. I really disliked it when the attention was drawn to him. However, there are moments when the tone really does work and I enjoyed it, and I think it was mostly due to when the soundtrack choices really hit the spot. The factor that would've helped clear a lot for me is some clear exposition to the staging of the story. I kind of got the character's relationships but I wasn't clear on who they were exactly with their backstories. I guess that's the obstacle with bringing Shakespeare to modern day since you can't break the concept to clear the ambiguity. Fortunately, the pros outweigh the cons and lifts Much Ado to more-or-less above average.
6/10