Hamlet: Movie Review

William Shakespeare can rest peacefully in his grave; Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed did right by him with their adaptation of the most famous tragedy ever written. If you weren't aware of this movie's existence until just now, here's everything you need to know.

Riz Ahmed has finally brought one of his lifelong dream projects to the screen: playing Hamlet. He partnered with director Aneil Karia, with whom he previously won an Oscar for their short film The Long Goodbye. This movie has been almost ten years in the making: the first time it was ever announced that Riz Ahmed was going to play Hamlet was back in 2017, when it was supposed to be a Netflix production. After years in development, Aneil Karia finally joined as a director in 2022, and filming took place at the end of 2023.

Their version of Hamlet is unlike any we've seen before and it feels entirely fresh. Set in present-day London, the film keeps Shakespeare's original language while placing the story in the contemporary world. Hamlet and his family are reimagined as South Asian, bringing a distinct perspective that adds new depth and resonance to the tragedy.

One thing I will undoubtedly say about this movie and all of its creative choices is that it won't work for everyone, although it absolutely worked for me. All the decisions made in this adaptation feel purposeful and fully fledged, reflecting a creative team that had a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve.

There are plenty of bold choices throughout the film. Maybe the most polarising one is having Hamlet deliver the famous "To be or not to be" speech behind the wheel of a BMW, speeding at 100 miles per hour through the streets of London. It sounds quite ridiculous when put like that, but in the context of the movie, it works surprisingly well.

If you're at all familiar with Riz Ahmed, it won't surprise you to hear that he delivers an absolute tour de force of a performance in this. There are only a few things better than an amazing actor soliloquising, and when that actor is Riz Ahmed, he'll make you feel like you're ascending from your cinema seat. It's hard to say if this is his career-best performance, as everything he does feels like a career-best, but it's definitely up there and will be a highlight of his filmography.

A standout moment in the movie is the wedding subplot, which once again shows why portraying Hamlet and his family as South Asian works so well. Hindu culture not only fits seamlessly into the story, but it also reinforces that Shakepsearean tales are universal. The vibrant, colourful, and celebratory nature of Hindu weddings provides such a great backdrop for this adaptation, and the "play within a play" sequence completely blew me out of the water.

Maybe one of the movie's best attributes is that it knows exactly what to cut and exactly what to add. There's a couple of very interesting changes from Shakespeare's original tragedy, the homeless camp subplot being the best one in my opinion. The writing is smart, the movie looks beautiful, and the actors deliver. Really, there's not much else you could ask for.

If you're not familiar with the original material or Shakespearean language, this could feel intimidating, especially watching it in cinemas with no subtitles. But I think using the original language makes this movie a lot stronger than if they hadn't. It keeps you fully enganged and focussed, and if you do happen to slip away from the story for a minute, the acting pulls you back in. Ultimately, it's a bold, unforgettable take on a timeless story.