Hamlet

2009

3h 2m

Drama

List

100%

6 Reviews

Tomatometer

91%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A ghostly visitation prompts Denmark's Prince Hamlet (David Tennant) to feign madness and avenge his father, who died at the hands of Hamlet's uncle (Patrick Stewart).

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Dec 26

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Buy Hamlet on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

Audience Member

A brilliantly played and perfectly casted rendition of this classic masterpiece! It puts a modern spin on the story while maintaining its original form, and the emotions brought to the screen by the actors is stunning. No other version I've seen matches this, especially Tennant's portrayal of Hamlet himself, with the realistic emotions and actions that bring the character to life and then some. I watched this because I'm a huge fan of Tennant in Dr. Who and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek, and I was not disappointed! 5 Stars!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

When I first read Hamlet back I in high school I found it to be an excruciating bore but once I saw it acted on on stage and screen I appreciated and enjoyed Shakespeare's iconic play. I've seen various versions but I especially wanted to see this one because it had two actors from 2 of my favorite sci-fi shows, Doctor Who and Star Trek. David Tennant who was the 10th Doctor in Doctor Who played the title role of Hamlet and Patrick Stewart, Captain Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation played the king of Denmark. What made it even more interesting was the cast dressed in modern and contemporary clothing instead of period costumes from late 16th or early 17th century. The only other Shakespearean play where I've seen them done this was Ian McKellen's version of Richard III.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

David Tennant accomplishes what very few actors have ever done by giving us a brand new take on the Prince of Denmark. Sir Patrick Stewart is a chillingly gregarious King in this top flight production.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This version of Hamlet is a filmed version of the 2008 cast of the Royal Shakespeare Company production. It stars David Tennant as Hamlet and Sir Patrick Stewart as both Claudius and the ghost of King Hamlet. The plot, for those of you who at this point have somehow missed it is this. Hamlet's father Hamlet, King of Denmark, is found dead. Hamlet returns from school in Wittenberg for Hamlet's funeral and discovers that Hamlet's Wife has remarried Hamlet's brother Claudius making him Hamlet's step-father. Hamlet then sees the ghost of Hamlet who tells Hamlet that Hamlet was murdered by Claudius. Hamlet seeks to avenge Hamlet's death by murdering dear old uncle-dad. Did you follow all that? Things I Liked: David Tennant. Now this is a Hamlet I can get behind! Tennant soars as Hamlet playing a quirky and interesting dynamic between Hamlet's "madness" and his more lucid moments, the speeches and soliloquies are thoughtful yet not overdone and he really stands out without trying to be a leading man in a film. David Tennant is spectacular in this version and I can only imagine what seeing him live must have been like. Patrick Stewart. Sir Patrick Stewart is a legend and he reminds us of why here. His portrayal of both Claudius and Hamlet's Ghost are distinct and interesting and each have their own power. They take control of scenes and they harness a lot of moments that really soar sometimes even above Tennant's performance. The work Stewart does is a magnificent array of emotion and expressions, some subtle some broad and all interesting. The Tone. While it has it's darker and it's more depressing moments, this Hamlet plays a lot with the humorous moments. Polonius is a great source of comic relief and Tennant's madness is not overdone and is a bit clownish which really helps to keep you interested as opposed to many grim and troublesome variations of Hamlet. I was so delighted that this one allowed humor in and quite a bit. It made the movie much more enjoyable. Things I Didn't Like: Ophelia. Mariah Gale as Ophelia fell a little short in this one. She wasn't very memorable or interesting and fell by the wayside and when she finally has her tragic fall into madness, it isn't something that grabs at your heartstrings because you find you do not care about her the way you should. The setting. The way the film is set up feels like too many different places. It feels like the world is disjointed from itself and never appears cohesive. It has a very stylistic approach which makes sense with it being adapted from a play. But overall there are moments that seen a little out of place and it can be distracting at times. Overall. Overall this version is my favorite so far. Tennant and Stewart carry a film that I feel captured the tone of the play very well and the script's cuts make it feel as though nothing is missing. There are issues with the star power overshadowing the other characters, most notably Ophelia and the setting seems odd and sometimes distracting. But the story is the true star and the actors bring it out in a wonderful way.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Crikey. David Tenant gives an awful lifeless performance. Patrick Stewart gives a solid performance of Claudius, though this cannot save it.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Oh, does Dear Tennant know how to do madness. Shakespeare is certainly easier to get into in action, you get context clues as my third grader says. Still hard for me to understand, but Tennant and all the rest put on a great performance. I was prepared to watch in two parts but having started earlier enough, and having interest enough, I watched the near three hours in one sitting.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Gregory Doran

Director

David Tennant

Hamlet

Patrick Stewart

Claudius

Penny Downie

Gertrude

Oliver Ford Davies

Polonius

Mariah Gale

Ophelia

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

71%

70%

Tetro

63%

55%

The Beaver

47%

38%

Hereafter

92%

75%

Of Gods and Men

23%

22%

Drunkboat

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

MaryAnn Johanson

Flick Filosopher

It's all far more wonderfully dynamic than I was ever expecting it could be, both capturing the feel of the stage production while taking advantage of the possibilities of television.

Nov 15, 2019

Full Review

Christel Loar

PopMatters

The principal performances are nothing short of phenomenal and the entire company should be praised for a momentous accomplishment in bringing it from stage to screen.

Rated: 9/10

Nov 15, 2019

Full Review

Adam Sweeting

The Arts Desk

[David] Tennant looked like a full-scale actor instead of a novelty turn, capable of raising his game substantially enough to keep abreast of a superb cast.

Nov 14, 2019

Full Review

S. Jhoanna Robledo

Common Sense Media

[David] Tennant is especially fun to watch as he mugs for the camera and alarms other characters while seemingly in the throes of madness. His goofy faces are tinged with despair, revealing the depths of Hamlet's misery.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 21, 2011

Full Review

Peter Canavese

Groucho Reviews

Tennant's restless Hamlet is never boring, and it's not irredeemably a stage performance on camera: at times--like the ever-intimidating 'To be or not to be speech'--Tennant curls up into fetal intimacy... [Blu-ray]

Rated: 3.5/4

May 31, 2010

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Seanax.com

The play's the thing and it's uncut here, but it does feel like a production brought to the cameras rather than an organic piece of drama coming alive in front of us.

May 3, 2010

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

A ghostly visitation prompts Denmark's Prince Hamlet (David Tennant) to feign madness and avenge his father, who died at the hands of Hamlet's uncle (Patrick Stewart).

Director: Gregory Doran
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 26, 2016
Runtime: 3h 2m

Most Popular at Home Now