Luis Vargas
Ms.Peifer
English 10 IB
5/6/12               
As you like it Critical Review Analysis
   
The movie As you like it  starring Bryce Dallas Howard as Rosalind and David Oyelowo as Orlando is a well represent version of  the play As you like it. The director Kenneth Branagh has chosen a very well suited setting in Japan. The setting takes  place in the forest of Arden, a very magical and beautiful forest. The setting in the forest creates very unique visual effects and sounds to enhance the dramatic scenes.  
    Bryce Dallas Howard and David Oyelowo are perfect fitted for the characters Rosalind and Orlando. Their facial expressions that they display when talking to each other makes it seem like the relationship between them is very romantic.  The costumes that both characters wear  are very suitable for each character. Rosalind's costume is very suited for her because it shows and visualizes the class of family she comes from, a noble family. The cloths that she wears at the beginning of the movie makes her seem that she comes from higher class family which is very accurate because she does come from a noble family. Orlando’s costumes is also very suitable for him because it makes him seem like a warrior or a wrestler. Orlando is always carrying his  sword making him seem like a man that knows how to defend himself which is also very accurate to the play. The sword of Orlando makes a visual of the warrior or wrestler he is.

The sound effects of the movie are very astonishing. For example, in the forest of Arden the chirping of the birds in the forest is very magical and makes the forest seem very magical and peaceful. This effect of the birds causes the viewer to really feel the intensity of the magic in the forest. The author not only uses sound effects to display the art of Shakespeare but also uses many great visual effects to create the astonishing feel of intensity. A great example of this is at the fighting scene between Orlando and Oliver at the beginning of the play.  The fighting scene takes place outside in during a thunderstorm. The thunderstorm is a great way to visualize the hate between the brothers. The thunder makes the scene very dramatic making it into an intense fight between them.  The drama in the fight increases due the thunderstorm making the fight seem more scary and intense.

This movie is sometimes confusing at points when  Bryce Dallas Howard is dressed as Ganymede.  Bryce Dallas Howard does not act as masculine as she should act which makes it hard to tell when she is Ganymede or when she is Rosalind. The director may have done this so the audience would be aware that it is the same character disguised as another. This is the only down side of the movie but beside this the movie is worth watching. This movie is  a fairly accurate movie  that is worth watching.