The Tempest (2010)
Average Rating: 4.6/10
Reviews Counted: 85
Fresh: 25 | Rotten: 60
Director Julie Taymor's gender-swapping of roles and some frenzied special effects can't quite disguise an otherwise stagey, uninspired take on Shakespeare's classic.
Average Rating: 4.6/10
Critic Reviews: 29
Fresh: 6 | Rotten: 23
Director Julie Taymor's gender-swapping of roles and some frenzied special effects can't quite disguise an otherwise stagey, uninspired take on Shakespeare's classic.
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Average Rating: 2.6/5
User Ratings: 18,606
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Movie Info
The sorceress Prospera's journey spirals through vengeance to forgiveness as she reigns over a magical island, cares for her young daughter, Miranda, and unleashes her powers against shipwrecked enemies in this exciting, masterly mix of romance, tragicomedy and the supernatural.
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Cast
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Christopher Plummer
Prospero -
James Blendick
Gonzalo -
Geraint Wyn Davies
Stephano -
Timothy Stickney
Sebastian -
John Vickery
Antonio -
Dion Johnstone
Caliban -
Julyana Soelistyo
Ariel -
Bruce Dow
Trinculo -
Peter Hutt
Alonso -
Trish Lindström
Miranda -
Gareth Potter
Ferdinand -
Helen Mirren
Prospera -
Felicity Jones
Miranda -
Djimon Hounsou
Caliban -
Ben Whishaw
Ariel -
Reeve Carney
Ferdinand, Prince Ferdi... -
David Strathairn
King Alonso -
Alan Cumming
Sebastian -
Chris Cooper
Antonio -
Tom Conti
Gonzalo -
Alfred Molina
Stephano -
Russell Brand
Trinculo -
Jude Akuwudike
Boatswain -
Jeremy Irons
Alonso -
Ben Wishaw
Ariel
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The Tempest Trailer & Photos
All Critics (91) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (26) | Rotten (60) | DVD (7)
You expect Nicolas Cage to pop up from behind a sand dune on a Harley brandishing a rocket launcher.
Top CriticTaymor, by turning Prospero into a woman while retaining an "imperialist" view of Caliban, will no doubt simultaneously please and enrage left-wing critics. The rest of us can enjoy the movie's strengths...
Primarily an exercise in eccentric (and, I would argue, empty) spectacle.
Normally I'd watch Helen Mirren in anything, even if she was just putting out the laundry or reading the phone book. But, given the roteness of her line readings here, it might have been better if the phone book rather than Shakespeare was her text.
The costumes designed by Sandy Powell - leather gowns and military uniforms, Renaissance in silhouette and detailed with zippers - are the film's most arresting element.
Most plays-turned-movies try to open things up. Taymor still thinks like a theater director, ending up with a "Tempest" that takes place in a teapot.
There are two reasons to watch The Tempest: if you're a fan of Shakespeare, or a fan of Helen Mirren.
Hundreds of years ago, Shakespeare would have never imagined this story could look like Taymor's vision.
Taymor tries a little too hard, neither breaking nor broken by the play, but ultimately losing the wrestling match. [Blu-ray]
Taymor excels at creating visuals that are so beautiful you want to hang every frame on your wall, but content-wise this film falls really flat.
The film has plenty of detractors who see Taymor's approach as strained and overwrought, but Mirren finds some grace notes that no Prospero could ever have sounded.
While this had the potential to be a stirring cinematic experience, director Julie Taymor's trademark innovation and visual flair never soars.
Shakespeare is spinning in his grave.
As a re-imagining, particularly by a director so well renowned, The Tempest is depressingly pedestrian.
[M]essy but thrilling... [B]rings a new perspective on the play, and a new appreciation for it, which is the best we can ask for the umpteenth adaptation of a centuries-old work...
A noble stab at the Bard but ultimately an unsatisfactory film.
Audience Reviews for The Tempest
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Ariel: I have made you mad...
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- Antonio: Here lies your brother, no better than the earth he lies upon.
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- Caliban: This island is mine!
Discussion Forum
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Latest News on The Tempest
December 17, 2010:
Helen Mirren Talks The TempestIn this new interview, Helen Mirren talks about what brought her to Julie Taymor's gender-bending...
December 15, 2010:
Russell Brand Talks The Tempest and ArthurIn a recent interview, Russell Brand discussed his experiences making Julie Taymor's "The Tempest,"...
December 13, 2010:
Julie Taymor Talks The Tempest, Spider-Man, and MoreShe's busy getting "Spider-Man" ready for Broadway, but Julie Taymore still has time to discuss her...
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Foreign Titles
- The Tempest (2010/II) (DE)
- The Tempest (2010/II) (CA)
