Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Macbeth Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 12, 2016

Director Justin Kurzel, whose previous works include the acclaimed Snowtown and whose upcoming projects include the cinematic adaptation of the Assassin's Creed video game series, revives anew one of the most heralded of all of William Shakespeare's works, Macbeth. Packed with brutal combat, sweeping Scottish vistas, elegantly refined photography, lyrically delivered prose sourced directly from Shakespeare's hand, and several remarkable performances in key roles, Kurzel's film is an instant classic in the Shakespearian cinematic canon, a gripping, powerful adaptation that's as authentic as it is creative, a film that's as deeply enveloping as the source material is dramatically engrossing.

Macbeth (Michael Fassbender), Duke of Scotland, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife Lady Macbeth (Marion Cotillard), Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.

While one can literally follow Kurzel's Macbeth word-for-word with the original Shakespeare, its lyrical faithfulness to the source is hardly its finest asset, though it is obviously the single most important driving factor behind the movie. The performers do not simply recite the words, and neither do they do so with manufactured flair for the dramatic that often seems more a comedic trope of Shakespearean adaptation and less an authentic stab at finding any given story's purpose and depth. This take on Macbeth finds, through its masterful performances and its technical merits alike, a command of flourish blended with that depth, a richness of purpose and a breadth of scope of meaning to the material that accentuates the source, that drives home its emotional content and more profoundly explores its dramatic nuance. Fassbender, Cotillard, and the assembled cast are magnificent, appearing wholly authentic to not only the superficial character details but also the inward driving forces that are no longer simply words on a page but living, breathing, fluid, tangible concepts and raw human emotions. Indeed, in Macbeth, the story finds an added layer of palpable authenticity to its rhythmic prose, elevating the text on the page with an almost equally precise physical embodiment.

The film's construction is practically beyond reproach. It's a raw, gritty film, a movie that's tattered and weathered, chilly and bleak, and all the more gorgeous for it. It boasts an incredibly dense atmosphere, a thickness that gives weight to the story and the characters, as well as both the crude plot lines and the emotional depth that comes from them. It's refined in its roughness, a resplendent period piece accentuated by not only its broader costume and set design details but also a canvas on which every last detail seems carefully apportioned and placed. The result is a movie that's as visually rich and refined as Shakespeare's original writing. The film enjoys an organic flow, tremendous pacing, and a beautiful score. Character accents are particularly thick, but the movie's ability to convey story meaning and purpose as much through its own visual acumen as through Shakespeare's prose largely negates that negative. The visuals and words work so well in tandem, are so complimentary, that by full absorption into the film the audience won't lose any key dramatic insight by any language barrier.

Macbeth Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Macbeth's 1080p transfer is gorgeous, even through the film's predominantly cold and bleak veneer. Indeed, skies are frequently dreary and dull, blown out and lacking much detail, but the harsh, chilled ground level elements are never anything but striking. Even as the transfer often lacks more than blood and flesh beyond its drab costumes and earthy backdrops, color values are always strong and efficient. Some sunnier moments scattered throughout offer a more refined and engaged color scheme, evident on rolling grasses and clothing accents. Details are superb. Rough, frayed, torn, and heavily textured fabrics are the unquestioned highlight, but leathery supports, skin details, and background grasses and stone offer tangible and oftentimes intimate definition. Black levels are satisfyingly rich in lower light interiors. Skin tones push a little pasty in the bleakest moments, but they're always reflective of the movie's stylistic flavors. The digital source's transition to Blu-ray has brought with it no discernible artifacts. This is a top-class presentation from Anchor Bay.

Macbeth Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Macbeth arrives on Blu-ray with an engaging and technically sound DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation offers a fine mix of detailed ambience, chaotic battle, and well defined music. It's perhaps the ambience that's the most attractive element. The entire soundstage is frequently engaged in the presentation of the movie's sonic needs with a tangible, lifelike accuracy. Rainfall saturates the listening area with pronounced and balanced detail from every speaker. Formations of soldiers are defined by immersive and light chatter, the sounds of swords being drawn from and inserted back into sheaths, creaking leather, and light natural environmental elements. Perhaps the movie's finest ambient sonic moment comes in a dark dialogue exchange around the 23-minute mark. Dialogue is certainly properly prioritized, but support details are incredible. A blustery wind beats against the small structure in which the exchange takes place, and all of the little rattles and creaks inside are almost eerily lifelike and positioned, transforming the listening area into the chilled, dreary, wind-battered locale. It's a wonderful example of how even the smallest sonic footprint can make a big difference in helping to shape a scene's dynamics, never mind simply creating an authentic listening experience. Certainly, more pronounced elements impress. Music is wide and enjoys pinpoint detailing. Surrounds are active and the low end appropriately deep and supportive. Action is chaotic and detailed; listeners are pulled into the mayhem as every speaker engages in the raw, ruthless sounds of hand-to-hand battle between armies of men. Dialogue delivery holds firm in the center, save for when it naturally reverberates about the stage. Clarity is fine, with any faults the result of thick accents, not technical shortcomings.

Macbeth Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Macbeth contains only two supplements, a brief featurette and a question-and-answer session with the star. A UV digital copy voucher is included with purchase.

• Making Macbeth (1080p, 7:55): Cast and crew discuss the story's details and dynamics, cast performances, and Justin Kurzel's direction.
• Q&A with Michael Fassbender (1080p, 20:12): The actor discusses the film with Critic Joe Neumaier. From New York, October 5, 2015.

Macbeth Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Macbeth is a masterful film. It's one of the finest Shakespearian adaptations in some time, a movie that's equal parts faithful to its source and creative in its visual support mechanisms and machinations, a truly complimentary marriage of cinema and written prose in every sense. Performances are stellar, production design is superb, music is great, and the photography is spellbinding. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Macbeth is unfortunately short on meaty extra content, but video and audio qualities alike are outstanding. Highly recommended.