Emma
review by Bobby Blakey
Over the years there have been a ton of Jane Austen’s famed writings brought to the screen. The latest, Emma stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Bill Nighy, Mia Goth, Josh O’ Connor, Miranda Hart, Callum Turner, Tanya Reynolds, Connor Swindells, Rupert Graves and Gemma Whelan. Could this film do the classic tale justice or will it be a love not worth searching for?
Emma follows Emma Woodhouse, a restless queen bee without rivals in her sleepy little town. In this glittering satire of social class and the pain of growing up, Emma must adventure through misguided matches and romantic missteps to find the love that has been there all along. I have to be honest I had zero interest in this movie. It wasn’t that it looked bad or anything and I dig the cast, it just wasn’t one that overly appealed to me but I decided to go in and give it a shot.
Here’s the deal, it’s actually a pretty good movie and I enjoyed it more than I expected I would. The cast are all great and there are some funny and heartfelt moments, but overall its slow pacing just never fully sucked me in. I can say I firmly believe it was Taylor-Joy’s performance that fully keeps this movie moving. She is a joy to watch in every scene and elevates all those around here in this role. Not that anyone else is bad, they are all really good, but she brings it all together.
Visually the movie is stunning. The costumes, vibrant colors and backdrop make for a visually stunning film. The amount of work that goes into these types of films make them worth watching alone. Add to that the great performances and it makes for a pretty entertaining flick, just not one that I think was targeted to my tastes.
Obviously for those that love the works of Jane Austen this is a must see, but all others decide for yourself as a film like this is really something that you have to find yourself. I didn’t expect to enjoy it at all and despite the pacing was pleasantly surprised. Grab your copy of Emma available now on Blu-ray and DVD from Universal Home Entertainment.