King Lear
User Score
6.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
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User Reviews

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  1. The3AcademySins
    Oct 2, 2018
    5
    This is one of the most lackluster and poorly directed adaptations of King Lear I have ever had the misfortune of viewing. Anthony Hopkins is fine, I guess? Some of his deliveries feel really phoned in. A lot of the script was cut too, but not just the fluff, there were some pivotal moments that were left out which will surely be confusing to anyone not familiar with King Lear.

    The    This is one of the most lackluster and poorly directed adaptations of King Lear I have ever had the misfortune of viewing. Anthony Hopkins is fine, I guess? Some of his deliveries feel really phoned in. A lot of the script was cut too, but not just the fluff, there were some pivotal moments that were left out which will surely be confusing to anyone not familiar with King Lear.

    The worst scene unfortunately is the storm scene. When Lear and the Fool are walking in the rain, it is very obiviously CGI rain, and it is not edited well. It was a very disappointing moment. The direction of the whole story was terrible and this Lear did not earn it's ending.

    My two favorite parts of the show were Emma Thompson as Goneril and John MacMillan as Edmund. They carried the whole movie and saved it from being completely irredeemable. All in all, while there were some shining moments, this King Lear is 2 hours I will never get back.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    Oct 1, 2018
    80
    Eyre has cut the text to the bone, sometimes to its detriment, though the edits elevate the play’s parallel, secondary story--the bastard Edmund (John McMillan) plotting against his father, the Earl of Gloucester (Jim Broadbent) and his half-brother Edgar (Andrew Scott)--in fascinating ways.
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  2. IndieWire
    Reviewed by: Hanh Nguyen
    Sep 29, 2018
    67
    King Lear starts to break down near the last third with a choppiness that takes a toll on the logic of the piece. Still, the performances hold it together; this play has always been focused on human suffering. Amazon’s King Lear is by no means a definitive adaptation of what is arguably the Bard’s finest tragedy, but it is a thrilling and entertaining one.
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  3. Slate
    Reviewed by: Isaac Butler
    Sep 28, 2018
    90
    Eyre’s ambitions are far more modest than Brook’s: to give viewers a modern-day King Lear as crackling entertainment, filled with big performances, recognizable faces, propulsive editing, and a contemporary setting. ... Across the board, the acting in this adaptation is exquisite.
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