Jane Eyre 2011. US Reviews (II)

Check Part I of this compilation.

Positive:

News in Film:

This is a restrained and mostly quiet film adaptation, but director Cary Fukunaga doesn’t shy away from the book’s grimmer aspects. He explicitly depicts the deplorable treatment of Eyre through her childhood and boarding school days. Later in the film, suspense is maximized during several eerie candlelit sequences featuring Eyre investigating the strange rumblings. There are even a couple of effective and unexpected jump scares. (...)
It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the performances here are excellent and there is little on technical level to criticize. Jane Eyre should fulfill the expectations of fans of the classic as well as those looking for a good entry point to British historical drama. (Glenn Kay)

Up and Corners (A):

Cary Fukunaga mounts the 15th – at least! – film adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 gothic novel “Jane Eyre”, yet manages to make it just as riveting and fresh as if it isn’t a story you’ve been forced to read in school at least two or three times; and he does it without resorting to turning Jane into a modern rom-com version of herself or adding vampires and zombies.(...)
And perhaps, like the straight man in a comedy routine, Wasikowska’s understated and nuanced portrayal of a repressed but strong-willed girl is underrated. She is no less deserving of praise, but indeed, it is Fassbender who steals every scene he’s in and essentially, the movie. Bringing a level of ruggedness and sexuality previously unseen, Fassbender’s Rochester is truly alive while surrounded by gloom and repression that feels more dead than alive, though certainly justifiably and purposely so. (...)
There is no way to modernize – or perhaps more bluntly, dumb down for the modern audience – “Jane Eyre”, but with sure-handed direction, a script of dialogue that rings believably dated but true, and substantive, layered acting, the new adaptation feels immediate, relatable and exactly the kind of revolutionary so many remakes and reboots attempt to be these days – all by planting its roots firmly and faithfully in Brontë’s original vision.

The Mustang Express (high school newspaper):

The movie was excellent. It closely paralleled the book, which I had read before seeing the movie. I would recommend reading the book before the movie, but the director did a good job making sure the viewers would be able to watch the movie without reading the book. I was glad that the film stuck so closely to the book, because that just ruins a movie when the book is completely different. (Adrienne Sebade)

Current Movie Reviews:

The acting in this film is superb, Mia Wasikowska who plays Jane embodies her character perfectly. It’s almost like she was made to play this role and I personally felt like she looked like the woman I saw in my head when I was reading the book, which is always nice when your watching a movie based off of a book. I would recommend this film to everyone and anyone who is interested in the book. It does not disappoint. (A.L. Wilson)

MSN Movies (4 out of 5 stars):

What makes director Cary Fukunaga‘s new adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre” — first published in 1847 — worthy of note beyond all those traditions and trappings is the degree of effort and emotion Fukunaga’s direction brings to the film. There’s no voice-over, no narration, and long stretches of the film involve nothing more — and, conversely, nothing less — than the play of emotions across Mia Wasikowska‘s face in the lead role. Fukunaga’s superbly executed direction and careful staging speak very rarely, and yet say so much. (...)
Anyone with a few candles, access to a heritage site and a few rental petticoats can make a film of a classic English novel; what Fukunaga and his cast and crew have done is made a film to remind us why, and how, that novel became a classic. (James Rocchi)

Living in Cinema (4 out of 5 stars)

At the same time, the film necessarily jettisons some of the story’s detail in favor of a kind of survey of the main high and low points in Jane’s life. It’s unavoidable for a literary adaptation, but there’s still an occasional hollowness and a seeming haste to move from one point to another. It’s not a fatal flaw and probably unavoidable, but it’s a reminder that movies and novels don’t accomplish the same things well.
Overall, Jane Eyre is a welcome treat. It’s a worthy interpretation for those who are new to the novel and likely a satisfactory return for those who are already familiar. Most of all, it’ll be a nice surprise for those who’ve never seen Michael Fassbender at work or who only know Mia Wasikowska from Alice in Wonderland. (Craig Kennedy)

Film Forward:

Even more than Jane’s tears and cri de coeur for equality, the characters’ passion comes through the film’s look and sound. It seems surprising that two guys experienced in gritty Latin American urban action, director Cary Joji Fukunaga (2009’s Sin Nombre) and cinematographer Adriano Goldman (2008’s City Of Men), would be suited for a classic costumed romance, but their visceral approach is emotionally stunning. (...)
Anchored by Wasikowska’s intense performance, the dreams and flashbacks carefully ground Jane Eyre’s transformation into a Jane Heir, minimizing the deus ex machina theatrics and maximizing her unbending quest for freedom. Her determination to choose who to love makes her feel very contemporary. (Nora Lee Mandel)

Lady Diva Reviews:

It takes a keen hand to make a movie from a book that’s possibly the most adapted in history seem alive and worth retelling yet again. Director Fukunaga makes his Jane Eyre one to remember through the lush beauty of his film and the fresh, vibrant performances he induces from his actors. (The Lady Miz Diva)

Box Office Magazine:

Lavish and feverish at times, Jane Eyre flirts with becoming unhinged but never approaches true hysteria. It's never boring, but just when you think it will take off and morph into something unusual and subversive, Fukunaga makes a conventional choice that is both reassuring and slightly disappointing. Adriano Goldman's impatient cinematography has its dazzling moments but not a lot of consistency. On the plus side, this underscores the atmospherics and both Jane and Rochester's moodiness; on the down side, it makes certain choices feel obligatory.
Another positive way of describing this tonal variance is to say Jane Eyre has a dreamlike quality. The particular reverie the film conjures boasts the earthiness of Joe Wright's 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice and many of the supernatural, ghostly elements of a Guillermo Del Toro film. Consider this reviewer bewitched but still clear-headed, transported but with two feet still firmly on the ground. As Rochester confesses to Jane, "You transfix me, quite." (John P. McCarthy)

And On the Wilder Side,  The Witching Hour, Adventures of the Cautionary Tale, This Too is Meaningless, Bookyurt, Hermionish, Common Sense.

Mostly Positive:

NBC PopCornBiz:

First and foremost, Fukunaga, a former DP, has made a gorgeous film, capturing the essence of the bleak, harsh beauty of the north England Derbyshire countryside, and the ways in which Jane is at once of the place and completely alienated from it. (...)
All this the film gets right, where it flutters is in its pace. As a two-hour film, screenwriter Moira Buffini strains to capture the essential plot points while giving the piece enough space to breathe properly. The film is far better when it shrugs off the heavy narrative and just plays ominous, with storm clouds closing in, mysterious screeches and the ever-present rustling of the wind pushing through a dark, misty wood. (Piers Marchant)

Dan Heching's Review Space:

The trailer for the newest adaptation of Jane Eyre (Focus Features) promises something of an atmospheric ghost story, with haunted attics and candlelit secrets. The film itself definitely has some atmosphere, but ends up delivering a quietly restrained and classic take on the Brontë novel.

Also: Disability Movies,  Daily Actor.


Mostly negative


DC Indie Movie Examiner:

While director Cary Fukunaga succeeds in producing a film that holds true to the classic Charlotte Brontë masterpiece, it also illustrates the challenge of bringing works from great literature to the big screen. In my humble opinion, this two-hour adaptation lacks some of the context and the emotional quality that makes the novel a fixture in the literary canon. (Casey M. Chew)

Filmitadka (India):

The best thing about Jane Eyre movie is that the director has kept original story intact with all the best scenes from the novel. On the negative side, Mia Wasikowska’s acting who is playing Jane in the movie is a big turn off, overall Jane Eyre is not as great as its some of the contemporaries, still the story in itself is so strong that I assume it will find audience.(Pooja Purohit)

New York Film Critic (2,5 stars):

Fassbender and Wasikowska are both skilled, intelligent performers and their intelligence is what registers here rather than their passion for each other.  In their hands, Jane and Rochester seem too smart to allow themselves to give in to something as unreliable as their emotions.  (Jane’s flirtation with St. John is a non-starter as well and not just due to the fact that Bell looks distinctly out of place here.  The characters are so clearly mismatched, there’s no suspense about whether she’ll stay with him or run back to Rochester at the first opportunity.)  I came away from this sturdy, handsomely-mounted telling of Jane Eyre feeling as though I had been shown the events of the book, but not the spirit behind them. (Ethan)

Also Suzannah B. Troy Artist.


Negative

Christian Science Monitor (C+):

"Jane Eyre," the latest cinematic adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's novel, is like "Masterpiece Theater" without the masterpiece.
It lacks what it most needs – passion. Without it, this "Jane Eyre" is a lot closer to a middling horror film than a brooding piece of deep-dish romanticism. (...)
Brooding can, of course, be romantic, even sexy. It can also, as here, be blah. I don't think this is Fassbender's fault, exactly. (...) My guess is that Fukunaga straitened Fassbender's energies to fit the narrow confines of Gothic melodrama. Perhaps he feared that a more exuberant performance might seem too contemporaneous. Or something.
At the opposite extreme is Wasikowska's Jane, who is as tamped down as Rochester is morose. She's still the best thing in the movie.(...)
I wish the filmmakers had trusted us to feel our way through the story rather than trying to wow us with a high-strung score and unhinged camera flourishes across darkling landscapes. When I wrote earlier that this "Jane Eyre" lacked passion, I should have qualified that statement. It has passion all right – in the stylistics. Those star-crossed love birds Jane and Rochester are no match for the tracking shots and throbbing violins.  (Peter Rainer)

Truthdig:

I am thinking here of Michael Fassbinder, who plays Rochester. The guy sits a horse nicely, but there is no darkness in him, no anguish in the way he keeps his not-so-terrible secret. This leaves Mia Wasikowska’s Jane somewhat in the lurch. She’s a plain little thing and it’s hard to imagine what she sees in Rochester aside from his general hunkiness. He’s dashing in the most literal sense of the word, which is to say he’s always dashing about on inexplicable errands, leaving Jane to take long, mooning walks on the moors. (...)
Fukunaga’s camera is very staid, immobilized by respect. (Richard Schickel)

In Summary:

Rottentomatoes: 87 % Fresh
Reviews Counted: 38
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Fresh: 33 | Rotten: 5
Audience: 78 liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 9,725

Metacritic
Metascore: 79 out of 100
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critics

New York Times:
Average Reader Rating

4 rating, 38 votes

IMDB
169 IMDb users have given a weighted average vote of 7.3 / 10

Votes	Percentage	Rating
79	46.7%	10
18	10.7%	9
24	14.2%	8
11	6.5%	7
11	6.5%	6
6	3.6%	5
3	1.8%	4
1	0.6%	3
2	1.2%	2
14	8.3%	1

Arithmetic mean = 8.0.  Median = 9

Categories: Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV