A Masterpiece!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The film represented the play quite well because of how they spoke, what they wore and how they managed to include the soliloquies, if it didn't have the soliloquies it is even harder to understand. As much as I think the actors played their roles well and I think it was done well there are moments when it is hard to understand, but it may just be how they spoke back then is a difficult 'language' to understand.

Much ado about nothing is a love story with ups and downs all the way to the final scene this is a tale from Shakespeare from love to marriage to death to arise. Again much ado about nothing is a beautiful tell but like all good films there's a villain this villain attempts to break up love by making disgusting allegations turning love upside down. This book later adapted to a film in 1993 and later 2012 many books that were adapted to films change parts and add in scenes that may not make sense to the story. But this film is an exception The film is basically word for word the book with slight bits of comedy to Adapt it to modern society .In conclusion this film is a good watch I would still say the book is better than the film because reading the story you can adapt the film in your head and use your imagination which in my opinion better to understand

Shakespeare, as it should be interpreted for the big screen. I must admit, this one is my personal favorite. And being a Kenneth Branagh fan, I think this is a real masterpiece. His performance is also remarkable. One could easily assume he was in love during the filming of the movie...:) Some people complain about the "wooden" Keanu, I think he was perfect for this role, as his character suppose to be grim and yes, wooden too - in perfect contrast to the rest. Every single bit of this movie feels right and in place. All the actors just... fit. The easiest and simplest test is to watch it several times. I did and I loved it. Thank you Kenneth Branagh, for the wonderful experience.

After Laurence Olivier's versions of "Henry V", "Hamlet" and "Richard III" and Kenneth Branagh's version of "Henry V", this is the fifth Shakespearean film that I've watched this year. While I was previously familiar with the three plays on which those films were based, that wasn't the case with "Much Ado About Nothing" so I don't know what cuts, if any, Branagh made to the text. The play is enormous fun, extraordinarily witty and occasionally laugh out funny. However, it also features darker moments and a fascinating exploration of the nature of honour, particularly as regards Hero being publicly and, more importantly, unjustly shamed due to the machinations of Don John. As with "Henry V", Kenneth Branagh excels as both an actor and a director. He is brilliant as Benedick, playing the role with an irresistible level of enthusiasm and charm. He directs the film with great style and flair and it looks absolutely beautiful as he used the gorgeous scenery of Sicily and Tuscany to its full potential. Branagh's then wife Emma Thompson is very bit his equal as Beatrice and their "merry war" is the best part of the film. The most important thing in a comedy based largely on wit and verbal jousting is the delivery of the lines. Branagh and Thompson deliver them as naturally as if they just entered their heads that very second. Overall, the film has a very strong supporting cast such as Richard Briers, BRIAN BLESSED, Robert Sean Leonard, Kate Beckinsale (who is wonderfully natural as Hero) and Denzel Washington (who I wouldn't have imagined as being much of a Shakespearean actor but he does very, very well as Don Pedro). It also features strong performances from actors in smaller roles such as Emma Thompson's mother Phyllida Law, Imelda Staunton, Richard Clifford and Jimmy Yuill. However, Branagh's usually superlative eye for casting let him down badly in the case of Keanu Reeves and Michael Keaton. As with Branagh and Thompson, Reeves' performance is effortlessly funny but, in his case, it wasn't meant to be. He delivers most of his lines in a monotone and just shouts the rest and not in a good, Shakespearean way. It was a bit embarrassing really. To be honest, I have never liked Reeves in any film that didn't have the words "Bill & Ted" in the title. Keaton is certainly better than Reeves, which admittedly isn't hard, but he was still way, way too over the top as Dogberry. His performance seemed to belong in a different film. I also don't see why either he or Branagh thought that it was a good idea for him to play the role in a bad Irish accent, which this Irishman found very irritating. I didn't smile once when Dogberry was on the screen - which I found hard to watch - while I laughed or at least grinned throughout the rest of the comedy scenes. However, it is quite funny to note that, since Christian Bale appeared in "Henry V", both of Branagh's first two Shakespearean films featured Batman!Overall, this is a brilliant film which, like "Henry V", demonstrates Branagh's mastery of Shakespeare but, because of Reeves and Keaton's poor performances, I can't quite give it full marks.9.5/10