the audience applauded

That was an excellent one.

Good concept, poorly executed.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Mediocre. Twee. Shallow. Smug. Superficial. Childish. Laughable.Because this is a 'comedy' of Shakespeare's does this mean it needn't be played with any depth of understanding? It should not.This production has had money thrown at it. Big name stars. Lush visual production values, etc.Shakespeare would be spinning in his grave... if he were petty enough to care what Brannagh and the BBC can get up to in their ignorance and lack of care.There isn't much more to be said. Look elsewhere for the rich heritage of already-filmed Shakespeare plays that are almost infinitely better than this.

I got interested in Western views of Japan in the 19th century a few years ago, so I knew a bit about the milieu Branagh purports to have chosen for his adaptation of Shakespeare's "As you like it." Well, I can see why he went for it: like Elizabethan theater, Kabuki has men playing the roles of women; there is wrestling in the play, so you can have a sumo wrestler; there are notes hung from trees, and that is something the Japanese know how to do properly; and everybody can dance around in gorgeous kimono at the end. Full stop. There is no attempt at all to think about Westerners in Japan, about the Japanese vs. the Elizabethan concept of nature (Arden looked like California to me), and they didn't even bother to get the sumo referee properly dressed. I didn't see anything at all remotely suggesting Yokohama (compare the wonderful scenes in Last Samurai). The colors were wrong. This Japan is as inauthentic as can be.So what? It's a marvelously directed film which kept the plot chugging along in full sight, the wonderful speeches singing, and the dialogue hilarious. The actors were all golden, golden. It was just fun. My son got hooked by seeing Olivier's Henry V as a child, my daughter by Branagh's Much Ado about Nothing. I think I want to be sure a copy of this one is available for my grandson.

For me, Keneth Branagh's film adaptation of Shakespeare's As You Like It was a sublime experience. It was late at night, my wife out of town visiting her family, and me, nothing much to do but fall asleep on the couch. But I stumbled upon HBO's broadcast of As You Like It, and I am transported. The setting was not Elizabethan England, but 19th century Japan. Why? Frankly, I don't know, but it worked for me, as I was immediately pulled in to this mythical land of families divided between those of hearts hardened by war and those who courageously broke away from unhappy dysfunction seeking the pure promise of passion and love. I found the setting equally striking with the dark brown colors of the warlord's house contrasted with the lush, magical, green forest of those longing for their lovers. I found the acting exuberant and joyful, not at all overdone, but appropriate for the subjects at hand: love, passion, melancholy, and the tearful reconciliation between waring brothers. For me, this was a beautiful work of art, and Branagh deserves nothing but praise for it all.

I felt like I was watching community theater Shakespeare. The actors over-acted every line as if the audience wouldn't get it otherwise without long pauses and gasping. The editing felt like bad TV shows on the minor cable networks. But what had me most entertained was the pseudo Japanese theme which jumped in and out of an otherwise lack luster movie.Sorry all you theater grads that haven't made a living on the "craft", but I'm going to say this, even Shakespeare rattle off a few mediocre plays in his day. And this one tops the list. The adaptation was simplified and highlight to brilliant affect by Day Time TV quality acting, pretty pretty costumes, and a score that sounds like the the Disney Family After School Specials.For an okay actor, our director the hip to the current culture Mr. B seems to know little about the timing of dialog and editing, creating a film that is neither funny, dramatic, entertaining, nor relevant. But then again, maybe I'm sounding too film school-y, so I'll but it to terms that our general public can understand: This movie SUCKS! It is truly truly a waste to the thine Time. Indeed but in that kind, my lord, please feel free at your discretion. . . to watch a movie that blows sh-t up. It would be better stimulation for thy weary mind than this hack film.