Miramax Films | Release Date: May 12, 2000 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
70
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
7
Negative:
2
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63
Almereyda has done a splendid job of rendering Hamlet as expressive visually as it is verbally.
75
This is a sizzling, invigorating Hamlet.
75
Both a distraction and a revelation.
63
As Almereyda unrolled his modern Gotham version, the story became gripping, the characters fascinating, the events mesmerizing, the resolution shocking and piteous.
68
Almereyda never plays up the gimmickry at the expense of the performances, and as a result, his movie largely succeeds, despite an overabundance of pretentious pokes at our consumer culture and the risky casting of Ethan Hawke in the lead role.
38
May well be the dullest and most pointless version ever filmed, thanks to a stunningly bad lead performance by Ethan Hawke.
80
NewsweekDakota Smith
New York City has never looked so slick and shallow as it does in Hamlet, an innovative, contemporary adaptation.
88
Almereyda's smart, streamlined adaptation is full of such neat little ironies.
80
Thou wilt be dazzled.
50
But all the devices and upgrades do little to bring the poetry's meaning into clearer and more relevant focus for today's audiences.