Much Ado About Nothing

     Joss Whedon's adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing is safe.  If you are watching this to understand Shakespeare's play for school, or something, than this is a good way to go.  If you are watching simply for entertainment value, there are a lot of better adaptations.

    You take a big risk when you do Shakespeare; even bigger if you try to make a modern adaptation for Shakespeare.  Most people have very strong feelings one way or the complete opposite on the spectrum for Shakespeare's work.  If you are staying true to the scripts then making a modern adaptation can be a disaster.  This one was not terrible, but it also took no risks.

     The acting, however, was spectacular.  I loved Amy Acker as Beatrice.  She had a perfect balance of disagreeable, neurotic, and contriteness.  I've seen her in a couple of other things which are way out of this genre (agents of shield, warehouse 13, etc.) so I was pleasantly surprised by her broad spectrum of acting abilities.  She was almost a bit too charming, but pulled of the character quite well throughout.

     Alexis Denisof really surprised me as Benedick.  He's been in a lot of things, but I recognized him as the idiot Sandy Rivers From How I Met Your Mother.  This was a total different role, and he played it off quite well.  I also think he was the only actor to really take liberties with the character.  He didn't stray from the script (at least not from my little knowledge of Shakespeare), but his expressions gave a more pensive portrayal of Benedick instead of the classic Benedick who is constantly performing for the sake of others around him.

     I love Nathan Fillion in everything.  I first took note of him in Serenity (probably my all-time favorite Sci-Fi film). I think Michael Keaton was my favorite Dogberry, but Fillion held his own playing the dim-witted constable. 

     In all, the movie was well acted, and true to the script.  Whedon took very little risks, but that might have been what helped pull off the modern adaptation.  At least he wasn't calling guns swords and daggers like some remakes of the master's plays .:;Coughes...Baz Luhrmann::.  Don't get me wrong, I loved Moulin Rouge, The Great Gatsby, and Strictly Ballroom, but Romeo + Juliet was just bad.  Sorry Mr. Luhrmann.

     I give this movie