Richard II is overlong, despite Jacobi's excellent turn as the title character. This is essentially a stage production on film, which chooses not to visualize its themes, and instead relies on character alone to pull you into the production. Unfortunately this particular play, constrained as it was by history itself, does not flow well. There are many brilliant lines, but the sum is rather uneven, and merely alright.

It's a good performance from all concerned, but Richard II isn't one of Shakespeare's more famous plays for a good reason -- it feels overlong, at two and a half hours (although other plays can run for that long and seem fine), and the plot drags a little. Additionally, the low production values don't help its case. Having said that, however, it's a faithful retelling of the start of Shakespeare's histories, and so is worth a watch.