I guess I should have known, but wasn't aware this film was done in Shakespearean verse until it began, and even then I thought the opening scene was going to give way to modern dialog. It took some getting used to, but once well under way, the picture turned out to be quite entertaining. I'm not a Shakespeare buff, so the material was all new to me and the actors involved did a fine job of presenting the play. Maybe this would be a good way to introduce classic literature to an otherwise disinterested audience. I recently watched "Shakespeare in Love" and that was cleverly done as well, however the black and white filming using a present day setting in this film was rather unique. For added poignancy, I think I'll now seek out the Kenneth Branagh version for comparison. I might become a Shakespeare buff after all.

I'm not a lover of Shakespeare by any means but I do truly enjoy Kenneth Branagh's take on this play. It's fun, romantic and full of great performances (Even by Keanu Reeves!). This movie feels like it misses the point completely. Despite being one of his lighter plays it feels overly serious throughout. It's more dinner theatre than a genuine movie. I get that this was a passion project but then why make it like this? No one nails the dialogue and nobody seems like they're having any fun except for Nathan Fillion.Lastly, I have no idea why it was black and white. If anything it just made it feel more dull and inconsequential. If you're going to do black and white give it some contrast and maybe shoot with actual film. It looked very digital with the saturation pulled out.There's nothing new and exciting to take from this, so if you really enjoyed the 1993 version I highly doubt this one is for you. The characters are dull and unmemorable and I kept getting the men mixed up. Skip it.

A little more than halfway through Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing, our anti-heroine Beatrice and our anti-hero Benedick profess their love for each other. It's a tender, affecting moment that neatly offsets the humor of the rest of the film. It's such a beautiful scene, in fact, that I grew misty eyed and euphoric, and that's how Shakespeare movies and plays are supposed to make you feel.Elegant without being condescending, Whedon's modern-day take on the classic comedy of errors is a masterpiece. In short, Don Pedro, his right-hand man Claudio, and his brother Don John visit a noble named Leonato. Leonato has a daughter named Hero, with whom Claudio quickly becomes infatuated. Don Pedro offers to woo Hero at the evening's costume party, whereupon he will "give" the young lady (with papa's permission) to Claudio. Simple subterfuge, but all is revealed to Hero, and all is well. Until the villainous Don John gets involved, that is, and a major misunderstanding tears the couple apart.While all of this is going on, Claudio's best pal Benedick - an avowed bachelor who scorns marriage - spars verbally with Hero's cousin Beatrice, who is equally adamant on the topic of marriage. This being Shakespeare, I think we have a good idea where these two are headed. Oh, and along for the more-obvious comic relief (as opposed to the more cultured banter between Beatrice and Benedick) is the local night watchmen, overseen by Dogberry, a man who would have trouble detecting his own behind with both hands. I'm digressing, but you get the idea.I won't go too much deeper into the plot, because most viewers probably had to read the play in high school or college. Since it's a comedy, suffice to say that all's well that ends well. But the performances! Many of the players had worked with Whedon on earlier projects such as Angel, Buffy, Castle, Firefly, and The Avengers and may be familiar by look if not by name. Nathan Fillion, the able captain of the good ship Firefly, is well cast as the clueless Dogberry (in one memorable ad-libbed scene, Dogberry and his assistant realize they've locked their keys in their car and frantically search their pockets). Clark Gregg, Agent Coulson to you, plays Leonato. But the entire cast stands out. This is a real triumph of talent, expertly shot (at Whedon's own house) and acted with such audacity and tenaciousness.

Joss Whedon has taken off his brown coat and hung up his superhero costume for the time being to give us a laugh-out-loud and fresh telling of Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing'. With an amazing cast, comedy at every turn and an excellent eye for direction, Whedon pulls off this amazing tale with grace and fun. The movie's also different enough to stand on its own apart from Kenneth Branagh's version from twenty years ago. I imagine that fans of 'Firefly', 'Buffy' and 'The Avengers' will be first in line to support their hero, but I also expect this to gain a bigger following in the weeks to come.Whedon has set this classic comedic tale in the present day while still using Shakespeare's original language – similar to Baz Luhrmann's 'Romeo + Juliet'. It's great to see these historic characters live in the present with mobile technology, fancy cars and fun parties as this account of engineered love comes to fruition in a light-hearted and comedic light.Alexis Denisof (from 'Buffy' and 'Angel') plays the fumbling and charming bachelor Benedick, whose friends tell him that Beatrice (Amy Acker, also from 'Angel'), his friend with whom he spends a lot of time joking around, is actually deeply in love with him. The same is told to Beatrice separately, which leads the two characters to spy on one another in hopes of hearing the other confessing his or her love. This is all done in a slapstick manner that works on every level as the characters provide a bit of physical comedy in their quests.Claudio (Fran Kranz, 'Dollhouse') tries to impress the love of his life, Hero (Jillian Morgese, a bit player in 'The Avengers'), which brings about a few funny moments as well. Meanwhile, the villain Don John (Sean Maher, 'Firefly') plans to sabotage both relationships for his own enjoyment. He's not the smartest man, but he's very aware of what's happening around him, and Maher pulls off this character perfectly. Some of the biggest crowd reactions will come from Nathan Fillion ('Firefly') as Constable Dogberry. He and his idiotic deputies make mistakes and provide a treasure trove of physical comedy every time they appear on screen. Seeing Clark Gregg ('The Avengers') come down from his Agent Coulson role to play the fun part of Leonato getting drunk and dancing the night away is not something to be missed either.Whedon is a master with the camera, and this is actually one of his best photographed films. The angles and creative shots he uses all make sense to the story and are used for a precise purpose. It's a magical experience and I'd definitely love to see Whedon tackle other Shakespeare works. For someone who just made a $1 billion dollar superhero epic to follow that up with this artsy black-and-white movie based on one of Shakespeare's most beloved creations shows just how much range Whedon has and how successful he is as a storyteller and filmmaker.Not only will this version of 'Much Ado About Nothing' make you laugh and have a hugely entertaining time, it's also true to the original work. With amazing acting, a killer cast and stellar direction, this little gem is highly recommended.