Critics seem to have difficulties agreeing on whether this is a spin-of of Hamlet to tell Ophelia's story, or simply Hamlet's story told from Ophelia's POV. I tend to side with the former.
One thing definitely reimagined here is that Ophelia is no longer a helpless, passive victim eventually driven to madness. She is all courage, intelligence, wit, spirit, resourceful, and more. And why not, if she is played by Daisy Ridley whom we know best as Rey, the new heroine in the third and final trilogy of the Star Wars saga that spanned the silver screen for over 4 decades. Incidentally, in about 2 months, our patience will be rewarded with the answer to Rey's real heritage. But I digress.
Among other things, this movie has a generous offer of witty word plays. Right at the start, when Ophelia as a child (Mia Quiney) is taken under the wings of Queen Gertrude (Naomi Watts), the first exchange includes the Queen's mild exclamation of "Alas, indeed", which is turned by the witty Ophelia into "a lass", as she is often mistaken for a boy in her tomboyish childhood.
In the first encounter (not counting stealing glances at each other at a distance) between Ophelia and Hamlet (George MacKay), she is fully submerged in serene lake water when surprised by him and Horatio on shore. Hamlet promptly commented that as she is a lady-in-waiting, perhaps she wouldn't mind waiting a bit longer. They would not inconvenience themselves on her account with looking for another spot for fishing. Totally unruffled, Ophelia teasingly emerges from water in tantalizingly slow motion, only to have the jaw-dropping Hamlet finally discover that she is fully clothed (Horatio has already walked away in embarrassment). That is a most definitive establishing scene of Ophelia.
Other depiction of Ophelia includes "she dances like a goat" (as per the other ladies-in-waiting). B then, she is "a girl that can read", surprising Gertrude who immediately gets even as Ophelia finds that her bedside reading to the queen is not a book of religious devotion but passionate novels of romance.
In this movie, the Shakespearean English has been modernized, exemplified in probably the best-known fatherly advice, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be". Here, what Polonius says to Laertes becomes "Do not borrow any money or lend it". Incidentally if you find the face of the actor who plays Ophelia's brother Laertes familiar, you should. This is none other than Tom Felton, otherwise better known as Draco Malfoy in Harry-Potter-verse. But I digress again.
For the top-tier star presence, in addition to Ridley and Watts, there is also Clive Owen who plays the usurping uncle Claudius, most likely with more malice than you have seen anywhere else before. Note also that Watts plays not just one character, but two! Entirely new to the plot is Mechtild, a mysterious witch from whom Gertrude obtains potions for preservation of youthful looks. She also carries a secret that affects the big picture but let me not spoil it. Similarly, I will not spoil the plot which initially follows the Bard's but later throws in some twists.
As mentioned in my "headline", this movie has aa art-house feel, but is not get overboard. The pace, for one thing, is brisk. The cinematography is first-rate, as well as costume design. There is much to enjoy, if this is your cup of tea.
Review of Ophelia
