Julie Taymor re-imagines Shakespeare's The Tempest but I am not sure that despite the visual imagery it has been made any more accessible.

Helen Mirren takes centre stage and Prospero from the original text becomes Prospera the wronged wife of the Duke of Milan, accused of witchcraft and exiled with her baby daughter as her brother takes over the dukedom.

The ship she is in ends up in a remote island. She raises her daughter Miranda and enters a power struggle with the human beast Caliban who she has enslaved and wrested control of the spirit Ariel.

Some years later Propsera gets the chance for vengeance as Ariel causes a tempest wrecking the ship that carries the people who wronged Prospera to the island.

Helen Mirren is great as Prospera and delights in reading text reserved for a male actor. The visuals are sumptuous, we see Ben Wishaw flying about as Ariel. Djimon Hounsou is imposing as Caliban waiting for a chance to gets his own revenge on Prospera.

The film never really grabs you by the lapels and hence you find yourself wandering off. Russell Brand as the jester is a misfire, you think he is just playing himself and feels rather off when the actors are putting more efforts in their respective parts.

A noble attempt to bring a difficult play on to the screen but not successfully done. The switch of the main role from male to female was never an issue for me and the tweaking of the adaptation was a bold move that did pay off.

Prospera duchess of Milan (Helen Mirren) was cast off with her toddler daughter Miranda by her brother Antonio (Chris Cooper). Antonio subverted her rightful rule after the death of their father. On the island, she enslaves the beast Caliban (Djimon Hounsou) taking control. Twelve years later, Miranda (Felicity Jones) is all grown up. King Alonso (David Strathairn) is sailing back after his daughter and her new husband's wedding with his son Ferdinand (Reeve Carney) and Antonio. Prospera takes revenge by unleashing a tempest to wreck their ship and stranding them on her island.

Julie Taymor does Shakespeare by replacing the main male character with a woman. That's basically the bulk of what I took away from it. Shakespearian scholars will have lots more to debate. For the rest of us, this is an acting and writing exercise. Helen Mirren is one of the best actresses around. It feels different to have a woman as Prospera but not necessarily inferior. It feels less intense but maybe almost as compelling. The special effects are not the most well made. At times, it looks like a good TV movie. Julie Taymor doesn't have the best CGI talents. The sparse Hawaiian location is more compelling. More than the usual Greek islands, these locations project power and isolation. The other actors try their best but the men don't excel. Djimon Hounsou gives a reasonably beastly performance. Felicity Jones is overshadowed by Helen Mirren. Other than the locations, I don't have anything outstanding to stake my review on.

This is quite odd, because while I far from thought it was great, I seem to enjoy this movie a lot more than most people. It's probably because I know virtually nothing about "The Tempest" play. From what I've heard, it was reportedly the last play Shakespeare worked on. I just wanted to see a representation of a significant play in his career. I think I'm probably lacking some bias. If I was more familiar with the play like most people, I probably would find it a lot worse. I guess I'm lacking that bias so I think it's a lot better than it probably deserves.

I really do like the colors in this movie and how bright everything is. It's hard to review something when the original play is more well known but I actually know little about the play. This certainly seemed to be an experiment for Shakespeare. I really couldn't help but love Russell Brand in this. Seriously, that guy's so much fun I wish I'd see him more. I guess what weighs this down is that it is kind of hard to take seriously. The effects do come off as pretty goofy in this, but I didn't think it was so bad. **1/2