S Kimsey

This version is too serious for Jane Austen's most comical tome. Johnny Flynn was the highlight but the lightness that should has been innately oven into the fabric of the film falls flat. If you have not read the book you cannot understand the genius of the work through this vehicle as the characters have little depth. It is clear that Eleanor Catton had never read the novel, as she stated in an interview, when she was approached to write the screenplay. She did not capture the cleverness of Emma. Adding a nose bleed to what should haven the apex of the film illustrates how little Catton grasped the comedy already perfectly balanced in the story. The music was also lacking. Where it could have punctuated the scenes it sadly stuck out like a sore thumb and seemed to be an inappropriate afterthought. Taylor-Joy never grew on me as the beloved Emma. She seems one dimensional and unlike other versions I never found myself rooting for her and Knightly to get together. In fact, quite the opposite. This will have to go down as my least favorite Emma movie version. Read the book and save yourself the cost of the ticket.