5/5 Amazing
  by Nick Manix (Texas)
I actually saw this movie 4 times when it was in theaters in 1999. Some have made comments that all the good Shakespeare roles were taken and that Anthony Hopkins got stuck with Titus. I have to question if they actually understood the movie.

Julie Taymor, perhaps one of the least appreciated directors of our time, picked Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" was one of The Bard's first works to be published around 1594 and may be his earliest tragedy. The story revolves around the fall of a Roman general (Titus) and the series of events set in motion by his enemy Tamora, The Queen of the Goths (played to perfection by Jessica Lang) and her sons Chiron and Demetrius (Johnathan Rhys-Myers and Matthew Rhys respectively.) Aided by Aaron the Moor (Harry Lennix), one of Tamora's lovers and the newly crowned Emperor of Rome, Saturninus (Alan Cumming), Tamora extracts her revenge on Titus in a brutal and vile manner.

There are decapitations, drug use, rape, cannibalism and nudity throughout the movie so it isn't for everyone. The play itself was labeled as Shakespeare's gruesome work. It is a difficult film to watch at times because of the pure hate the brews within some of the characters and the depravity of their souls. A stellar cast that includes Colm Feore ("Chicago," "24" and 2011's "Thor") and Angus Macfadyen ("Alias," "Saw 3,4 and 5" and "Californiacation,") "Titus" is a definite must see for movies that march to a different beat.

Director Julie Taymor (perhaps one of the least appreciated directors of our time) first came to fame with her elaborate and creative staging the "The Lion King" on Broadway which made history when Taymor won the Tony for Best Director of a Musical, something a woman had not accomplished prior. She is currently working with U2's Bono and The Edge on the stage musical "Spider-Man:Turn off the Dark." She has also directed the films "Frida" with Salma Hayek and "Across the Universe," a musical set to songs written by The Beatles. The next film up for Taymor is another of Shakespeare's works, "The Tempest" which stars Alfred Molina, Alan Cumming, Russell Brand and Helen Mirren.

"Titus" is good, very good. But like I said before, it's not for everyone. Just be patient with the film. Like Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film "Romeo + Juilet," "Titus" is Shakespeare like you've never seen before.

5/5 Gives "dysfunctional family" a whole new dimension of meaning . . .
  by Delana M. Beagle
It arrived new in shrink-wrapped plastic just days after ordering. Had seen it when it first was released, but since many family tragedies have marred my life in the last two years, was ready for a little uplifting Shakespeare to brighten my life, make me feel better about my own condition, and have a few laughs at the expense of cannibalism and totally major family drama. Had to steel up to prepare to view it again, waiting for my summer school classes to end, just in case it might have made me a teeny tiny bit depressed (the film, that is). I'll be honest: still waiting for the "magic" moment to view it again, hoping to have a few laughs at my own expense. It's a stunning film, an incredible interpretation of one of Shakespeare's finest tragedies, making my own problems insignificant in comparison. At least I've not knowingly eaten any of my children for feast yet (in the temporal sense, of course). I love my Amazon one-click power at the keyboard; so many items I've purchased for my high school English classes and I'm so grateful for the ease of ordering, the eminently reasonable costs, and the speedy and dependable delivery and accurate billing. Thank the gods above that divorce after thirty years led me to Amazon: thy rod and thy staff comfort me. I can't wait for my next shipment of Zen books to arrive in a matter of days. I know I can depend on Amazon, unlike sociopath ex-spouses. One day this week, before the new school year resumes, I'll be watching Anthony and Jessica in "Titus."
It's one of the best ever, just like Amazon.com! I can't say no more . . . Thanks for enriching my life! DeLana Beagle (:

5/5 Heres one for you
  by George W. Clonts Jr.
I saw this film in theater and I said to myself..THIS IS REALLY STRANGE.....Hopkins plays this for all its worth as Titus.I think of this as Hannibal for the Shakespeare crowd with a touch of head trip of Masterpiece Theater Truely a very strange surreal travel to a very strange part of Rome where the one has to see to really believe

5/5 Over the top production of an over the top drama
  by C. B Collins Jr. (Atlanta, GA United States)

The critics have historically rated Titus Andronicus as a weak early work of the great Shakespeare. Yet Julie Taymor's film interpretation is startling in its presentation, challenging the viewer with visually shocking scenes and superb acting so as to allow the viewer to reconsider this work. Even though I found the play to be blood thirsty and cruel with rash behaviors contrasted against devious and evil plots, the quality of the acting propels the film forward and the unique set designs and costumes continually keep the eye amused even when the plot becomes preposterous.

The storyline is centered around the mindless violence that humans inflict upon other humans, the desire for revenge which can take on a drive like thirst or hunger, the nature of sarcastic cruelty that objectifies another human being and thus makes it permissible to torture them. It is about power, the consequences for rejecting power, and the consequences of confronting power.

Titus is a man who makes many mistakes. He is superbly played by Anthony Hopkins. He makes a series of mistakes that set the world against him. He selects to make a human sacrifice of the eldest son of the Goth Queen Tamora, setting her on a path of vengeance that does not end. He kills one of his own sons for disobeying him when the sons were making decisions based on genuine regard for the wellbeing of their sister whereas Titus had begun to make decisions in the rare air of honorable loyalty to an Emperor who did not deserve the crown. He is offered the throne by the Senate and yet he gives it to the decadent eldest son of the emperor rather than to his upright younger brother and beloved of Titus' daughter Lavinia. He makes a series of terrible judgments and brings terrible ruin upon his family and himself. The emotions of Titus are not predictable or stereotypical. For he laughs at the death of his sons as he contemplates their severed heads. He is cold matter-of-fact when he encounters the vile tortures inflicted on his beloved daughter. He rashly trades one of his hands in a bad deal that he foolishly and emotionally falls into. But the redeeming aspect of the story is that finally Titus gets smart. He finally becomes cunning and acts like he has gone insane. He finally learns to control and hide his emotions and his revenge becomes as sweet and terrible upon Tamora as her cruelty had been to him. In his final scenes, Hopkins gleefully dances in his revenge as he watches Tamora eat a meat pie made from her two younger sons. And then we see the coldest of calculations as he breaks the neck of his poor tortured daughter whom he knows he can not longer protect.


Jessica Lange is wonderful as Tamora, the Goth Queen, who rises from a poor and dirty political prisoner of Titus, to the wife of the Emperor and thus in a position to carefully plot and execute revenge on Titus and his family for the death of her elder son. Tamora is a wonderful character with an outstanding wide range of emotions displayed. She is the cunning advisor to the foolish young Emperor and seductress to the handsome black slave, Aaron the Moor. I found some of her strongest scenes to be when she begs for the life of her eldest son and when she must deny Lavinia assistance as Tamora's two younger sons rape Lavinia, cut out her tongue, and cut off her hands.

Tamora's handsome black lover, Aaron the Moor, is a fascinating character for he is a slave taken from his people, and having a brilliant and wicked mind, he plots great evil deeds and pits the two warring families together like a master chess player. He finds most of the people in either family to be highly suggestible fools. Harry Lennix is a fantastic actor in a chilling role. I understand that this may be the first black character in English drama. How wonderful that he is a character of shrewd cunning cruelty. The scene where he tricks Titus into cutting off his hand, the scene where he kills the nurse who brings him his illegitimate newborn son, and the scene where he negotiates for his son's life by confessing all his deeds are all three totally superb chilling acting.

All the cast were powerful. Laura Fraser is fragile and beautiful as Lavinia. Michael Gross was outstanding as Marcus, the brother of Titus. Angus McFadyen is masterful and believable as Lucius, the elder son of Titus. Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Matthew Rhys play the parts of the queen's two younger sons, totally wild and decadent and cruel. Alan Cumming's was good as he Emperor Saturnalis, but he screams many of his lines.

This tale of dismemberment, torture, cannibalism, and revenge is blazing hot in this interpretation.


4/5 A wretched Shakespeare play made good?
  by R. Bagula (Lakeside, Ca United States)
My reaction on reading the play "Titus Andronicus" with the flesh pie ending was disgust.The wretched and bitter revenge of the Empire as a play witnessed by the grandson of Titus Andronicus. Vengence is a large dead family that falls upon Rome.
This play is Shakespeare's send down of the Roman Empire.
The acting and staging are modern and relatively well done.
It is a tragedy of really bad ( Roman Titus and family) and worse (Goth Tamora, Moore Aaron and sons).This play should turn us all from the conquests of Empire.