Movie Review - Hamnet

Director: Chloé Zhao
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 125 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Joe Alwyn, Emily Watson, Jacobi Jupe, Noah Jupe
 
Description: In late 16^th-century England, Agnes (Jessie Buckley), a healer sensitive to the world around her, builds a home with William (Paul Mescal), a local tudor and aspiring playwright. As their lives fracture, they are tested by distance, silence, and grief.
 
Review: The film adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s best-selling novel “Hamnet” by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao is a rare example of an adaptation that not only understands the soul of the source material but also amplifies it. It is a visually stunning and emotionally devastating portrait of grief, love, and the transcendent power of art.

Although Paul Mescal portrays a fragile yet powerful William Shakespeare (never named until the very end), this is unmistakably Jessie Buckley’s film. As Agnes, she is the emotional anchor; a woman with a powerful connection to nature. Zhao wisely chooses not to show the rise of the famous playwright in London, but to focus on the raw reality of family life in Stratford. The chemistry between Buckley and Mescal is palpable and makes the impending tragedy all the more painful.

The cinematography by Łukasz Żal is nothing short of sublime. He captures the English countryside in 1596 with a sensory richness that immediately transport the viewer into the mud and sunlight of the Elizabethan era. The scenes in which the plague slowly creeps into the household are portrayed with a suffocating tension. Max Richters’s music enhances the melancholic atmosphere.

The absolute highlight is the finale, in which the film shows an indescribably personal loss – the death of eleven-year-old Hamnet – is transformed into the universal masterpiece Hamlet. Zhao succeeds in giving familiar monologues from the play a new, deeply moving meaning that will bring even the most stoic viewers to tears.

“Hamnet” is a tearjerker of the highest order, but its more than that. It’s a story of loss and the aftermath of this, how people grief differently. The narrative structure of the middle section is somewhat uneven, but the emotional impact of the final scene more than makes up for it. I have only just read the book (which I gave a 5-star rating) and it always makes me happy to see a director succeeding into translating it to film. Beautiful film and a well-deserved Academy Award for Jessie Buckley.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

20s Movie Review - Gladiator II

Director: Ridley Scott

Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Drama

Runtime: 148 minutes

Year: 2024

Starring: Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Derek Jacobi, Matt Lucas

Description: After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who no lead Rome, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people.

Review: Director Ridley Scott returns to one of his greatest triumphs. Along with Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal, two of today’s biggest stars, Scott treats audiences to an old-fashioned spectacle from ancient times. Although “Gladiator II” functions just fine as a solid action adventure, it’s more of the same but not quite as good as its predecessor.

The film opens in Numidia, a Roman colony in North Africa. Under the leadership of General Acacius, the Roman Empire invades the last free city and captures much of the male population into slavery. So does the simple soldier Hanno, who impresses in local arenas. Impressed by his boundless hatred for the Roman Empire, slave trader Macrinus buys Hanno and promises him the head od Acacius if he fights for him in the Colosseum.

Initially, “Gladiator II” seems to take a different path than its predecessor, but once Hanno begins to make a name for himself in gladiatorial combat, it becomes increasingly clear how connected the two films are. Joaquin Phoenix’s Emperor Commodus is now split into two characters, played by Joseph Quinn and Fred Heckinger. The twin brothers Geta and Caracalla share the imperial throne together, going delightfully over the top with thei blood lust. Connie Nielsen reprises her role as Lucilla, with yet another personal connection to the star of the Colosseum.

Denzel Washington also plays a seemingly similar character that the first film had. Like Oliver Reed, he is an ex-gladiator who won his freedom and now trains gladiators. But his Macrinus has much bigger ambitions than just entertaining the Roman public, and Washington is drawing more and more attention to himself. Even though being a side character, his performance steels the show.

Paul mescal is a lot less impressive than Russel Crowe, but he is still a believable warrior. Biggest difference is that Crowe could and still can easily carry a film, Mescal as not there yet. Pedro Pascal was the main reason for my excitement for this film, but that was quite disappointing. His character doesn’t really have a lot to do and he is not in the film that much. What he does do, he does well, but his talent if very underused in the film.

As for the first film, “Gladiator II” impresses the most with its visuals and its battle scenes. The scenes in the arena are amazing. There we did see some changes, adding a water filled arena battle to it. But bigger does not always mean better.

If Maximus would ask me if I was entertained, I would definitely say yes. For an action and adventure movie it checks many boxes. But I also have to admit I was a bit disappointed in the overall execution of it all. “Gladiator” is not a favorite movie of mine, but it’s a really good film. “Gladiator II” did everything the first film did, but not as good. And that’s my overall feeling for this film.  

Rating: 3,5/ 5