Titus

This movie was completely nuts. I'm having a hard time thinking of ways to describe it. I never read the Shakespeare play this movie was based on (Titus Andronicus), but in story and speech, I believe the movie adhered quite closely to the original material (surprisingly ultra-violent). Like Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet, Titus eschews the Elizabethan set and costume designs for something more modern. But unlike Romeo and Juliet, the world the story takes place in is one not recognizably our own. From its eerie start, it is apparent that this stylized world contained elements both fantastical and familiar. There are two images that stay with me after watching the movie. The first image is of the Roman soldiers jerkily marching into the screen, covered with clay and resembling toys coming to life in a terrifying way. And the second is that of Lavinia standing on a stump, with branches for her hands and a mouth of red. This may not have been one of Shakespeare's more acclaimed works, but I thought this movie was gorgeously done and very entertaining. It was a bit long and the end felt rushed but things wrapped up in a mostly satisfactory way. Oh, one part I was eh about was the Clockwork Orange style of Tamora's two sons. In a movie so original, that seemed to be the least original thought. Rate *****