At least it has balls

Titus, based on Shakespeare's play of similar name, is the story of a Roman general who's life is, to say the least, full of violence and the sadness it causes.

The plot is quite complicated, so I won't spend a terrible amount of time on it, but here are the basics. Titus is a successful Roman general who is returning from war with the Goths. He has lost twenty-one of his twenty-five sons in the battle, quite a sacrifice to his country. Therefore, when the Queen of the Goths, one of his prisoners, begs for the life of her son who is about to be sacrificed to avenge the death of Titus' sons, Titus has little remorse in cutting off her sons' limbs and head.

Shortly after he returns home, the current Emperor dies, leaving a vacant spot in Rome. The Roman Senate votes Titus to Emperor, but he refuses. Instead, he backs tradition and asks that the eldest son of the Emperor be named in his place. The new Emperor thanks him by taking Titus' only daughter as his betrothed, which to Titus is an honor. Well, this doesn't make Titus' daughter, nor her fiance, the brother of the Emperor, very happy and they, along with Titus' remaining four sons, run off. Titus tries to stop them from shaming the family name and actually kills one of his own sons in the process. Still, a loyal man to Rome and the traditions it upholds.

The new Emperor, in one of his first acts of office, pardons his brother, Titus' daughter and her brothers and instead takes the Queen of the Goths as his new wife. The Queen, using her new position of power, does everything she and her evil sons can to take revenge on the man who would not spare her son.

Let the blood-letting commence!

This film version of the play, or the play itself for that matter, is something that not everyone will enjoy. It's not Mel Gibson's Hamlet. It's not Leonardo DeCaprio in Romeo and Juliet. It's really something I can't compare too many films to and perhaps that's why I love it so.

The director, well-known for bringing Disney's The Lion King to the stage, uses a combination of ancient Roman and modern influences in everything but the dialogue, which is strictly Billy Shakespeare. Literally, alongside a four-horsed chariot rides a World War II-era motorcycle. Some of the characters are playing video games to amuse themselves. It's really quite trippy, but something I thoroughly enjoyed.


As far as the acting goes - It's Sir Anthony F-ing Hopkins. How can you go wrong there? And I would have to say that of the many films I have seen him in, this is by far his best. His character has to express such a wide range of emotions, from utter despair, to guilt, to rage, to joy, that I can't imagine anyone doing a finer job with it. The rest of the ensemble, most notably Harry Lennix as Aaron the Moor, were incredible as well. Really, not a bad apple in the bunch.

The cinematography, the sets, the costumes, the acting, everything is absolutely mesmerizing. I was literally in awe of this film the whole time. I did not take my eyes off it for it's entire running time and sat motionless, silent, and I think I blinked about four times. For me, this film was an out-of-body experience and one that I will not, nor would want to, soon forget. But, I don't see most audiences feeling this way, so be warned.

The only thing I didn't particularly like about the movie were the vision sequences. There are times throughout the movie when we are given a glimpse inside the mind of key characters, especially Titus, and see surreal images of flying angels, sacrificial lambs with human heads, tigers that turn into men, and fireballs with limbs floating through them. In a movie full of long takes and beautiful composition, these MTV-esque interludes were very distracting and removed me from the story. They were stunning visually, but they didn't feel in place.

Again, this movie is not for everyone. If you have a love for modern theatre and the eye candy it produces, I don't see why you won't like it. For you movie buffs, if you liked the latest version of The Thin Red Line, this might be enjoyable to you. If you'd like to take a chance and expand your horizons beyond Jean Claude Van Damme movies, don't bother because if you're still watching his stuff you're going to hate this. If you think you might be one of the rare and, in my humble opinion, enlightened audience, give Titus a chance.