"O": A Film Review
7:08 PM
Cast: Julia Stiles, Mekhi Phifer, Josh Hartnett, Andrew Keegan
Director: Tim Blake Nelson
Avg. Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
I felt that O was a decent film; it followed the basic plot and structure
of Othello, the actors were all rather suitable, and the
overall atmosphere felt reminiscent of the original work. In spite of
this, the film just could not pull together to form a stellar adaptation. Here
we have Odin (Othello) and Hugo (Iago). The setting of the film and nature of
their friendship makes the film feel very Othello meets A Separate Peace - you have these
two friends who, although on the surface appear to be fine, have underlying
issues as Hugo feels Odin is outshining him in all areas. This could have made
for a great film had it not been an adaptation, however, I have just become so
partial to the original work that I can no longer picture it in any other way. 
Disregarding the
text, the film still could have used work. Although the actors did a fair job
at conveying the emotions required for a Shakespearean adaptation, the overall
plot dragged the quality down. The fact that Odin and Hugo were basketball playing
teens in attendance of a prep school made some parts of the film seem tacky and
overdone. The soundtrack was right there to reinforce this atmosphere.
Director: Tim Blake Nelson
Avg. Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
My Rating: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆
Thanks to my new-found love of Othello (and
my everlasting love of Josh Hartnett), I found myself watching O.
For those who don't know, O is a rather modern retelling of
Shakespeare's Othello in which the characters are high school
students in attendance at a prep school. The movie as a whole, while not
unpleasant, was just so far from Shakespearean quality that one cannot help but
think of it in a disapproving light.
I felt that O was a decent film; it followed the basic plot and structure
of Othello, the actors were all rather suitable, and the
overall atmosphere felt reminiscent of the original work. In spite of
this, the film just could not pull together to form a stellar adaptation. Here
we have Odin (Othello) and Hugo (Iago). The setting of the film and nature of
their friendship makes the film feel very Othello meets A Separate Peace - you have these
two friends who, although on the surface appear to be fine, have underlying
issues as Hugo feels Odin is outshining him in all areas. This could have made
for a great film had it not been an adaptation, however, I have just become so
partial to the original work that I can no longer picture it in any other way. Disregarding the
text, the film still could have used work. Although the actors did a fair job
at conveying the emotions required for a Shakespearean adaptation, the overall
plot dragged the quality down. The fact that Odin and Hugo were basketball playing
teens in attendance of a prep school made some parts of the film seem tacky and
overdone. The soundtrack was right there to reinforce this atmosphere.
As a whole, O was not a film I looked upon with distaste.
I found myself enjoying the film here in there because it gave Othello a modernized feel and made it
more relatable; everyone experiences jealousy, but translating the story to the
present day made it feel more realistic to me (although I still enjoy the
original more). I feel that if I were to look at O and Othello as separate
entities, each would hold their own qualities that would make them great.
0 comments