Joss Whedon had a contractually mandated break in between editing blockbuster behemoth The Avengers. Given the massive strains of working on such a film, one would assume that a relaxing non-stressful vacation was in the cards. Such assumptions underestimate Whedon. Whereas most would be content to take a break on the beach, Whedon gathered up many of his acting companions, and decided to shoot another film in 12 days. Not a short film, a two hour one. In 12 days. That feat alone is quite impressive. Also impressive: the film itself. In fact, it’s more than impressive: Much Ado About Nothing is one of the best films in a long long time.
As one may have guessed from the title, Whedon adapted popular Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing, an action which may surprise some not familiar with his work. In theory, superheroics and Shakespeare seem to be incredibly divergent concepts. The reality, however, is that Whedon was able to mine Shakespeare’s text for emotional resonance the same way he mined The Avengers: use what you have to your advantage, and use emotions to open everyone to the film’s world.
By and large, most Shakespeare film adaptations are directed in such a way that the language itself is the star—the film is often just a pretty vehicle for the lines. While such an approach is fine for those who already are intimately familiar with the text of the films, it will often leave newcomers incredibly confused and bored. One of the potential strengths of a Shakespeare film is the ability to introduce new people to the works through a larger medium than the stage. Make no mistake, in this film the language is incredibly important, and sounds quite beautiful. But the direction is such that the language is spoken with the same emotional candor as traditional dialogue. When the characters speak, you can understand what they are saying right away—if not by their exact words, then by the emotions underlying the speech. It is a far more honest approach to Shakespeare, and helps to make the film spark. The actors’ approach allows the power of the words to shine through, whereas the elegance of the text would normally supersede a traditional emotional reaction in other films. The result is the best of both worlds: perfect clarity of language, and the beauty of Shakespearean text.
Plotwise, Much Ado is relatively lighthearted. At a fabulous party, friends conspire to get rivals Benedick (Alexis Denisof) and Beatrice (Amy Acker) together, while Benedick’s friend Claudio (Fran Kranz) tries to woo Hero (Jillian Morgese), the daughter of the host. When dealing with a Shakespeare text, you need strong actors to do justice to the words, and everyone brings their A-Game. While everyone deserves hefty praise, the two stars deserve the most: Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker make performing Shakespeare seem like the most natural activity in the world. Also, they are really really funny. In fact, the film itself is constantly hilarious, allowing for a feel-good time to be had by all (Props must also be given to Nathan Fillion of Firefly and Castle fame, for 
making Dogberry’s little screen time particularly memorable). And when more potent emotional beats are called on, the cast delivers as well, particularly a powerful scene between Leonato (Clark Gregg) and Hero. Also adding to the film is the fact it was filmed in black and white. This may not seem like a major detail, but by stripping away color, it allows the eye to focus more intently on what else is going on in the shot: mainly the characters and the “set” (Whedon’s own home, which shines just as much as any actor does). The literal shades of grey on the screen also compliment the thematic shades of grey concerning love as well, which is a nice touch.
The best part of the film is that it is a purely emotional experience: one goes through the whole gamut of emotions during the film in a manner that most other films wish they could accomplish. It is a magical comedy that transports you entirely into the world of the film: an incredibly difficult task to do under any circumstances…let alone one for a film shot in 12 days.
Rating:: Not a Shakespeare fan? Don’t worry—it’s done so well you’ll understand everything. Shakespeare fan? You’ll have a blast (10/10) – Yeah, it’s that good.
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