Review: Jane Eyre (2011)

Jane Eyre (2011):

Synopsis – A young woman takes a job as a governess at a castle (?) owned by a total jerk face who bullies her into love. I may have added my own flair to part of the story.

Starring - Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Judi Dench, Sally Hawkins, a whole bunch of others, all doing good stuff.

Sarah’s love for period pieces tends to lead us out to the theater in pursuit of whatever new ones come out. Recently we saw In Secret which was pretty bad, but most of the time we are at least mostly satisfied by what we see. Jane Eyre is one of Sarah’s favorite movies, and I stand by that choice 100 percent. It is up there with the best looking movies in recent memory, but so much more.

What I Liked:

-The cinematography is amazing in this film. Along with the set design and costuming, you cannot help but truly be transported to the world of the movie. Cary Fukunaga may be a magical imp that carried over his powers to the TV series True Detective, because that looks just as good. They must do something to the film to tone down the colors, because everything is somewhat bleak and grayish in quality. It is still a beautiful piece of work to behold.

-Mia Wasikowski knocks this performance out of the park. She plays Jane Eyre as calm and smart, never taking it to any place over-dramatic, even though it would seem perfectly logical to do so. I mean, Jane Eyre has had a hard and mostly terrible life! A lesser actress would use that motivation as an excuse for hamming up the role, attempting to squeeze pity out of the audience any way they can. Wasikowski’s Jane has been made into a hardened and suspicious woman, not ready to trust anyone, not afraid to speak her mind when prompted to. She is no delicate flower and that is perfect.

What I Didn’t Like:

-If I have one complaint, it is how attractive Michael Fassbender is. I haven’t actually read Jane Eyre, but from what I have heard about it I understand that Mr. Rochester is supposed to be unattractive not only in manner but in appearance. I am a straight man, but even I cannot believe for one second that women would not fall all over themselves in order to get at Mr. Fassbender. Some dudes’ just got all the right stuff in the face area. He’s a great actor though, so I wouldn’t want him removed from the film. Maybe some prosthetics to ugg him up?

What I Hated:

-Nothing.

Verdict:

If you want a beautiful looking drama that features great acting, you really can’t go wrong. There are a few moments that drag, but that’s what you get from gothic literature. Totally worth watching.