Review – Much Ado About Nothing

Joss Whedon – whataguy!

On a contractual vacation between the filming and post production of Avengers – Avengers! – he decided to shoot a low-budget, black and white production of the Shakespearean comedy Much Ado. Cast almost entirely with regulars of past Joss franchises, including Buffy and Dollhouse, there’s more than a little fanservice going on here. Not least of all the casting of Nathan Fillion, in the role of the night constable Dogberry, where he’s given full licence to ham-it-up – and does so, with spectacular success.

The result of all this is very Whedon-esque Shakespeare. The screenplay, as written, is already funny. But in concert with Joss’s usual sense of humour – by turns awkward and flatly ironic, with flourishes of exaggerated physical comedy – it’s even funnier still. But if you’re not a fan of the style, and here I have to acknowledge that not everyone is lost in rapturous contemplation of Joss’s talents, then these added touches probably aren’t going to have you chuckling. And if you’re just here for the Shakespeare, you’re not going to be overwhelmed by the performances. Amy Acker, Clark Gregg, Paul M. Meston and Reed Diamond are solid, but others were less impressive. But considering this project was a bit of a lark, and not much else, this hardly speaks poorly of them as actors.

I suspect this film will do more to introduce Joss Whedon fans to Shakespeare than Shakespeare fans to Joss Whedon, but regardless of what attracts you to it you’ll find there’s a lot of fun to be had here. Much Ado is a funny and entertaining modern adaptation of the celebrated comedy, and should find no trouble appeasing a popular audience.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=T5ZWwaMHIuA&w=400]