"Titus" Movie Review

 "Titus" is the film adaptation of William Shakespeare's first play "Titus Andronicus". The movie was directed by Julie Taymor and stars Anthony Hopkins in the title role as well as Jessica Lange, Harry Kennix, Alan Cumming, Colm Feore, Laura Fraser, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Matthew Rhys, Angus Macfayden and many others. 

The plot of this film, as well as the play the film is based on, follows Titus Andronicus who has just returned to Rome after fighting, and winning, a war. He has taken Tamora, Queen of the Goths, (played by Jessica Lange) and her 3 sons captive. He kills the eldest son in front of his mother, who then swears revenge on Titus. The new emperor of Rome, Saturninus (Alan Cumming), wants to take Titus' daughter Lavinia (Laura Fraser) as his wife, but she is in love with Saturninus' brother Bassianus (James Frain), so the two run away in protestalong with Titus' sons, but not before Titus kills one of them for their dishonorable behavior. Saturninus then takes Tamora as his wife, which helps her set her plan of revenge into action as she is now the empress of Rome. Let me just say, to anyone who is not familiar with this story, this is a VERY simplistic summary of the plot of this film/play- there is plenty of blood-shed, treachery, insanity, rape and one wicked twist ending. This story could totally fit in with Game of Thrones. 

This film does the original play a great service by staying true to the dialog; very few things were changed from the original text. "Titus Andronicus" was Shakespeare's first play, as mentioned earlier, and while it may have been his first it is by no means his worst. This is a visceral tale of brutality in all its forms, and this film does not let up. It's visually stunning and it really embraces that ruthlessness to a point it's not only shocking to see, but almost beautiful at the same time; but more on that later. 

Anthony Hopkins plays a powerful Titus Andronicus
[found on Google Images]

The dialog in the film, as I mentioned, is written in the original verse, prose and iambic pentameter that was used in Shakespeare's time. However, it's not really clear what time, place, or reality this movie takes place in. While there is a lot of Ancient Rome displayed,  there are also motorcycles, tanks, microphones, and guns which are used side by side with ancient armor, swords and horses. It's fairly confusing for about the first 20 minutes of the movie, and I myself had a hard time figuring out what was going on, but after that point it's much easier to accept and just go with, as everything is so visually appealing and engaging. While the time and place of the film is hard to discern, the visual style set up in the movie is one that is very striking; it's definitely a style unto its own. The tone that is conveyed through the sets, costumes,and choice of colors really help aid in telling the story. Also, there are scenes that help add extra emotion to the story that look as though they came out of a music video; they're surreal and dreamlike and even sometimes bordering on being nightmarish. I honestly thought they were really well done and help inspire a more emotional connection for the audience. 

This could fit in with something in
American Horror Story... Jessica
Lange pictured [found on Google
Images]

Another major point of strength in this movie is the cast. The actors in this film are great in their roles- Anthony Hopkins IS Titus Andronicus. I honestly feel there's no one else who could have played this part as well as Hopkins did. He was not only a convincing father and family man, but also a war-hardened general who is bound to his country and his honor. Hopkins is known for his powerful performances and this one is very powerful indeed. Playing a proud man who then spirals into madness is no easy role, but Hopkins makes it look like a cake walk in this movie. Also, Jessica Lange does a fabulous job as Tamora. While you feel sympathetic to her pain as a spurned mother, you still can't help but love to hate her cunning and conniving plots through the story. Alan Cumming is also very fun to watch as a fantastically flamboyant Saturninus. All of the cast really did a great job with their performances, but these three are the ones that really stuck out for me. 



While striking visuals, costumes, and great performances helped to create an interesting world, it wasn't enough to please general audiences. Upon it's release, "Titus" received fairly

Alan Cumming as
Saturninus [found on Google
Images]

decent reviews from critics, but it bombed at the box office, earning only $22,313 during it's opening weekend. Worldwide it grossed a collective $2,259,680 but that still paled in comparison to the film's $20 million budget. The film was also nominated for Best Costume Design, but ended up losing to "Topsy-Turvy".


"Titus" is in itself a very strange film, but it is one that is trying to make something different and it succeeds at doing that; in fact I think it may have done too good of a job. The film is very artistic and lends it's visual style to the Shakespearean classic in a way that was touched upon in Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet" in 1996, but this film takes it up a notch to a point that watching it can almost be considered an assault on your eyes, but I think that goes along perfectly with the savagery of "Titus Andronicus". I can see why general audiences didn't connect with the film, but as a Shakespeare fan and a lover of odd things, this film really impressed me. This movie is a great one to check out when you're in the mood for something classic and dark. I would give "Titus" a rating of 3.5 out of 5; while it's not the best adaptation of a Shakespearean play, it is one that is very original and memorable.