Macbeth (2015/Cinedigm Blu-ray)

Picture: A+ Sound: B+ Extras: C Film: B+

Macbeth, after winning a bitter war is honored by the King, but he is haunted by a prophecy that he is to become king. Urged by his wife, he kills the King and proceeds to take the crown. As he continues to cover up the truth with lies and murder, he suspects those would possibly succeed him he falls into despair and madness... to the point where soon he become known as a tyrant, sealing his fate and downfall in Justin Kurzel's Macbeth (2015).

Macbeth (Michael Fassbinder) was known for his loyalty and honor, but after a bloody battlefield he is told by three witches and given a prophecy that he is to be King. Puzzled by the prophecy tells his wife, he begins to believe when the King grants him the title Thane of Cawdor, part of the witches prophecy. Encouraged by his wife he proceeds to murder the King, take the thrown and frames others. He even proceeds to kill his trusted friend Banquo and his household, only one son survives and escapes. Macbeth is haunted by the spirits of the dead and those he killed, and in the end both him and his wife falls into madness, then he does everything to then prevent the prophecy from coming true to prevent his downfall, but in the end is surrounded by his former friends and allies turned enemies and is killed.

This is (yet) another remake of Shakespeare's class play Macbeth, a story of greed, ambition and how it leads to downfall (and never to trust woman, or at least the 3 witches). While the scenery was nice, setting was grime and there seemed to be a constant fog or haze as to create a feel that everything was dream or nightmare. A slight weakness was the various costuming and hair styles were too similar and it became hard to tell apart the characters when there were fight scenes or a lot of people around, other than that you just had to get used to 'Shakespearian talk' (everyone wants to be a poet in that movie). Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine and David Thewlis also star.

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer is the big surprise here, a superior Arri Alexa XT Plus shoot that has style, smoothness and plays nicely throughout thanks to Director of Photography Adam Arkapaw (Animal Kingdom) pushing the format. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is also well mixed and presented, but has to be quiet and refined often to take time for everyone to speak their well-recorded dialogue. It may not match the image, but its just fine and the combination works well throughout.

Extras include the Making Of the film and Q&A with Michael Fassbender, but for another recent variant of The Bard's classic, try this link...

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6182/Macbeth+(2006/Starz/Geoffrey+Wright+version

- Ricky Chiang