I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Just watched this movie for the third or fourth time and can't understand it's relatively low rating. The acting, the direction, just the sheer scale of the adaptation is simply stunning.

It's a mix of Ancient Rome and modern fascist Italy. General Titus Andronicus (Anthony Hopkins) returns from his campaign with hostages, Queen of the Goths Tamora (Jessica Lange) and her sons. Titus sacrifices her oldest son. Saturninus (Alan Cumming) and Bassianus (James Frain) compete over the empty throne. Senator Marcus Andronicus (Colm Feore) nominates his brother Titus for the crown. Prideful Saturninus is angered and Bassianus is supportive. Titus relinquishes the honor to Saturninus who claims Titus' daughter Lavinia (Laura Fraser) despite the fact that she's already betrothed to Bassianus. To everyone's shock, Saturninus frees Tamora and her sons. Bassianus flees with Lavinia with the help of Titus' sons. Duty bound Titus even kills one of his own sons to try to stop them. Saturninus takes Tamora as his replacement bride as she plots her revenge on Titus.Director Julie Taymor has put as much costumes, great actors, dressed up sets as she can but it's still very stagey. It can't escape from being a play. It's interesting for a little while but it wears thin. There are not enough people and not enough grandeur. The dialog is still Shakespearian. It is a brutal violent play. The actors do a great job but this is a play, not a movie.

Past films have shown us a number of ways of adapting Shakespeare to film: keeping the original dialogue or adapting it for modern consumption. "Titus" does the former, but that's the only way that this film can be associated with any other efforts to bring Shakespeare's work to the screen. Some film's, like Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet" keep the traditional 15th century setting, while others, such as Tim Blake Nelson's "O" elect to tell the story in a more contemporary setting. Julie Taymor's "Titus" does neither. Taymor mixes a number of different settings, blends it all together, and runs it on overdrive. The result is some sort of deranged nightmare that could only have come from the lady who stunned Broadway audiences with her daring and bizarre vision of "The Lion King." Anyone who's seen that has only a little idea of what to expect.Describing the plot of "Titus" takes some time, and in doing so I will give away some of the surprises. Let me just say that this is a bloody and twisted tale of murder and revenge, a story that only Shakespeare himself could have come up with.The acting isn't just good, it's OUTSTANDING! It is so rare these days to see a film with a really good performance, but when every single performance is Oscar-worthy, it is a film that must be seen.Anthony Hopkins is the modern-day Laurence Olivier; no one can do Shakespeare in the movies like he can. Titus is a bombastic man who becomes bitterly vengeful against those who have wronged him. Hopkins tackles the character with relish, and he's a sight to see. From the soliloquies to the bouts of rage, Hopkins never ceases to amaze. His nemesis, Tamora, is ably played by Jessica Lange. She wants revenge against Titus for killing her son, and no act of villainy is beyond her capacity. Titus is about to find out what happens when you cross her, and it ain't a pretty sight. However, the one who really pulls the strings in this bloody drama is not Tamora, but her lover, Aaron (Harry Lennix). Aaron is pure evil, and he relishes in it. Lennix radiates this malevolence, and brings to life what has to be one of Shakespeare's most vicious creations. Alan Cumming brings his usual bizarre antics to the Emperor Saturninus. Cumming is known for his off-the-wall characters, and that suits the character well. However, Cumming does not take Saturninus over-the-top, which is to the film's benefit. Colm Feore is good as Marcus, Titus' brother, and Laura Fraser exudes innocence as Lavinia. Angus MacFayden is terrific as Titus' son, Lucius. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Matthew Rhys are fun to watch as Demetrius and Chiron, Tamora's stupid and sadistic sons.Taymor lifts the dialogue right from Shakespeare's original script. In order to enjoy "Titus," it is crucial to have an affinity for the language. Anyone who doesn't like reading Shakespeare or seeing his plays would probably want to avoid this one.A full-length production of one of Shakespeare's plays lasts a good three or four hours, so at 2:42, it is obvious that in adapting the play, Taymor cut a lot out. The result is a very streamlined version of the play (which I have not read), but it is for the most part perfectly coherent.Speaking of Taymor, her vision of the play must be mentioned. The only director that I can think of that nears her imagination is Tarsem (The Cell, The Fall). Tarsem's a little more out there, but Taymor is not far behind. Bold, bizarre, and visually arresting, Taymor never lets this film become boring. However, her handling of the material is not flawless. The dream sequences are not well-integrated (in fact, they could have been left out entirely), and the last scenes are poorly handled."Titus" gets a hearty recommendation, and is a must-see for any Shakespeare buff.Note: Taymor was forced to make cuts to the film's orgy scene, but not any of the violence. Apparently, sex and nudity are still taboo with the MPAA, even if it is historically accurate (and was more than mentioned 600 years ago), but violence of any kind still gets the "A-OK." There's nothing here that earns such a restrictive rating. Actually, most of the violence is merely mentioned, and not shown. Had the film gotten a PG-13 rating, you would not hear a complaint from me.

Titus is a film that does have a certain allure but it alienates just as much with its peculiar segments within the film. For all its gusto and confidence Titus fails to be as poignant as it could be.The period is created with a flurry of modern additions, which at times does not look that far out of context with the overall picture but would have been better to maintain in its intended setting. Indeed the inclusion of Lucius, a young boy who is ignored and then brought into the film (you will understand if you see the film)is rather bizarre and unexplained progression, which I did not like.Harry Felix and Angus MacFadden are the stand out performances with Anthony Hopkins and Alan Cummings giving powerful displays which are both hindered by the over dramatics created in the film. The score is at times too over-the-top to take seriously, and the story is dark and harsh which will quell people's potential enjoyment.Titus for all its art and craft manages to sustained itself through its strong acting but its bravado is too much to be able to palate in reasonable proportions.