Something is rotten in the state of BHS! Favorite "Hamlet" Film Version

After watching each of the three different film adaptations of Shakespeare's Hamlet, the one I found most interesting, and thus most memorable, was Mike Almereyda's modernized version. The first difference I immediately noticed was the way in which the plot was introduced. In this version, Almereyda chose to establish the setting in a very straightforward way, using a prologue to announce the situation surrounding Hamlet. Evident in this prologue was also the producer's choice to take the famous storyline and immerse it in 21st century culture. I found his comparison of the countries of Denmark and Norway, along with their individual monarchial leaders, to companies and their CEO's very innovative. This verision reminded me of the film version of Romeo and Juliet, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, in which two rival families are portrayed as rival businesses. Such modern takes on classic stories make them more relatable in today's society. While all of these aspects made this version my favorite, the most striking feature was the producer's choice to cast Ethan Hawke as Hamlet. While reading the play, the way I pictured Hamlet in my head was portrayed perfectly by Hawke. He definitely fit the dark and troubled role of the grieving Prince. Compared to the other two versions, this version stuck out because of its modern twist and its similarities to the way I interpreted the story while reading it.