So bad it's hilarious.

66.500

The case presented by this film is, "maybe post-method Shakespeare is impossible." It's definitely not impossible, but I'll be damned if the 90's didn't present a pretty strong argument against our man in Avon. Fishburne's a decent enough actor, but Othello is way out of his league. It's an easy character to get wrong though. As for Iago, the old cliche is that a good Iago makes you want to shower afterward. Branagh isn't a good Iago. Plus, there was all that Bergman camera shit. That sucked.

Othello is my favorite Shakespeare play, so if an adaptation keeps pretty close to the source, I'm satisfied. However, it's really the acting of Othello and Iago that saves this one, keeping at bay the stuffiness that director Parker felt obligated to apply.

solid movie

Disappointing. Branagh apparently decided the play was titled "Iago," and not "Othello."

Lots of overacting, but in a good way. Best portrayal of Iago I've seen.

Not bad. Gotta love the acting.

This is an unfortunately inadequate adaptation of what I believe to be Shakespeare best, most gripping play. The casting is where this goes awry first, Branagh is a great actor but leaves something to be desired as Iago and Fishburne doesn't quite master one of the most difficult role of all time. The director is not as skilled as branagh behind the camera and is neither as clear, entertaining, or faithful to the material as branagh tends to be. Better off watching a stage version filmed

Stiff and theatrical.

Good adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy. I was highly impressed with the cast. Branagh is superb, as he almost always is in Shakespeare, and Fishburne makes for a stupendous Othello. I do have to say that it felt like a relatively safe adaptation of the play. When we have Shakespeare being reinvented constantly this ends up feeling a bit tame.