Premise: You know the play?
If you really like Shakespeare, then have at it. This was Kenneth Branagh's big coming out party to US audiences. He got actor and director Oscar nominations for it. It's the moment when everyone started saying "oh, is he our Lawrence Olivier now?" And I get it. This has a large and impressive cast. I especially enjoyed spotting Christian Bale and Judi Dench in small roles. Derek Jacobi as the chorus delivers that exposition with verve. Branagh does those rousing speeches justice. The Henry V play is a very cinematic one with the Battle of Agincourt as a centerpiece. Branagh does quite well with that battle scene.
This sure felt like eating my vegetables a lot of the time. I know this makes me a philistine, but I wish filmmakers would lay off with keeping the purity of Shakespeare's dialogue. This movie doesn't feel like a play, but they talk like they're in one. I can often feel the actors trying to make a line work that they'd otherwise say differently. I'm fine with movies that feel like plays in terms of the scope. Many of my favorite movies are limited to a couple rooms or a single location. Where adaptations lose me is when the actors would clearly rather be saying all this on a stage. Please quit trying to make Shakespeare accessible like this. Keep the stories, settings, and scope. Quit committing so strongly to the exact wording.
Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend
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