The acting in this movie is really good.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I haven't seen many Shakespeare movies. I've seen Macbeth - the one with Jon Finch and I saw Shakespeare in Love with Gwyneth Paltrow. I thought Macbeth was gruesome in some respects, but it has nothing on Titus, which is a level 11 (to paraphrase This is Spinal Tap) on the gore level. And this was centuries before Nightmare on Elm Street.I liked the merging of modern day settings in this, e.g. the army tanks, the SS stormtrooper type garb, the modern kitchen ware. The finale was quite innovative, where the dining table scene transfers to a modern stadium with onlookers. I wonder where that was filmed? Croatia or one of the Yugoslavian republics? Jessica Lange was superb in Titus. Interestingly, in New Zealand Lange is pronounced "Longy" - one of its Prime Ministers was David Lange and that's how he pronounced it.I wonder what the stage play would be like. I haven't seen it and I heard some patrons fainted during a performance at the Globe in London not so long ago. Can you imagine a high school putting on Titus instead of High School Musical?

Since I can't go below a "1", that will have to do. I was never fan of Shakespeare, let's stat with that. That being said, I could barely make it 25 minutes into the film. It was not at all what I expected. I was looking for a period piece about a Roman General, I really didn't need the symbolism, I found the boy a major distraction, when the motorcycles came into the film, I turned it off. That was absolutely enough. I wanted to see some fine acting by Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange, that was not to be found. All in all, I found the symbolism taking more away from the film than adding to it. Guess it's partially my fault, I should have researched the film more before watching it. All in all, the short part of the film I watched was horrible.

the modern version of TA simplifies the story from the declining of an absurd world to the downfall of a Roman general, hence fundamentally subverting the tragic significance. The transformation lies in the introduction of a modern perspective. Titus begins with a boy wearing a paper veil resembling the Klan, eating at a table, while playing a collection of toy soldiers including both Roman warriors and modern troops. He is frightened by a bomb blast, rescued, and whisked away to Ancient Rome. With the boy assuming the character of young Lucius, the film is constantly directed through his angle, from his first surprise at the Terracotta Army, his excitement in welcoming the election, to his witty response after killing the fly (originally done by Marcus). Furthermore, the film ends with him carrying Aaron's child, leaving the coliseum, and walking toward sunrise. Here the film inserts a comparison between the tragic massacre in Titus and the boy's slaughter of toys with milk, cake, and tomato sauce at the very beginning. His final left echoes his sudden arrival, closes the Pandora Box of this anachronistic structure, and actually pushes the timeless violence away into a finished fantasy. Once again, the director voices over Shakespeare by symbolizing the modern boy as "a tentative hope for the future." Inevitably, it defuses brutal violence and beastly humanity that are so intensified in the play. However, one should notice Lucius' succeeding and restoring order are as temporary as Lavinia's writing in the sad. Shakespeare left Aaron with no repenting "I am no baby… Ten thousand worse than ever et I did / Would I perform if I might have my will" (V.iii.184-87) and he casted way Tamora's corpse with "No funeral rite, nor man in mourning weed, / No mournful bell shall ring her burial." (V.iii.194-96) Rome is in deadly silence. Salvation comes where. The text embodies a more profound understanding of the historical setting behind TA tragedy, where the civilized Rome is under the irresistible process of declining, and eventually overrun by the barbarian northerners, the Germanic. Hence, the modern concern upon love and peace within the twentieth century re-evaluation context fundamentally lessens the ultimate desperation and disorder presented by this specific ancient moment, and is likely to be both extravagant and ironic.

Past films have shown us a number of ways of adapting Shakespeare to film: keeping the original dialogue or adapting it for modern consumption. "Titus" does the former, but that's the only way that this film can be associated with any other efforts to bring Shakespeare's work to the screen. Some film's, like Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet" keep the traditional 15th century setting, while others, such as Tim Blake Nelson's "O" elect to tell the story in a more contemporary setting. Julie Taymor's "Titus" does neither. Taymor mixes a number of different settings, blends it all together, and runs it on overdrive. The result is some sort of deranged nightmare that could only have come from the lady who stunned Broadway audiences with her daring and bizarre vision of "The Lion King." Anyone who's seen that has only a little idea of what to expect.Describing the plot of "Titus" takes some time, and in doing so I will give away some of the surprises. Let me just say that this is a bloody and twisted tale of murder and revenge, a story that only Shakespeare himself could have come up with.The acting isn't just good, it's OUTSTANDING! It is so rare these days to see a film with a really good performance, but when every single performance is Oscar-worthy, it is a film that must be seen.Anthony Hopkins is the modern-day Laurence Olivier; no one can do Shakespeare in the movies like he can. Titus is a bombastic man who becomes bitterly vengeful against those who have wronged him. Hopkins tackles the character with relish, and he's a sight to see. From the soliloquies to the bouts of rage, Hopkins never ceases to amaze. His nemesis, Tamora, is ably played by Jessica Lange. She wants revenge against Titus for killing her son, and no act of villainy is beyond her capacity. Titus is about to find out what happens when you cross her, and it ain't a pretty sight. However, the one who really pulls the strings in this bloody drama is not Tamora, but her lover, Aaron (Harry Lennix). Aaron is pure evil, and he relishes in it. Lennix radiates this malevolence, and brings to life what has to be one of Shakespeare's most vicious creations. Alan Cumming brings his usual bizarre antics to the Emperor Saturninus. Cumming is known for his off-the-wall characters, and that suits the character well. However, Cumming does not take Saturninus over-the-top, which is to the film's benefit. Colm Feore is good as Marcus, Titus' brother, and Laura Fraser exudes innocence as Lavinia. Angus MacFayden is terrific as Titus' son, Lucius. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Matthew Rhys are fun to watch as Demetrius and Chiron, Tamora's stupid and sadistic sons.Taymor lifts the dialogue right from Shakespeare's original script. In order to enjoy "Titus," it is crucial to have an affinity for the language. Anyone who doesn't like reading Shakespeare or seeing his plays would probably want to avoid this one.A full-length production of one of Shakespeare's plays lasts a good three or four hours, so at 2:42, it is obvious that in adapting the play, Taymor cut a lot out. The result is a very streamlined version of the play (which I have not read), but it is for the most part perfectly coherent.Speaking of Taymor, her vision of the play must be mentioned. The only director that I can think of that nears her imagination is Tarsem (The Cell, The Fall). Tarsem's a little more out there, but Taymor is not far behind. Bold, bizarre, and visually arresting, Taymor never lets this film become boring. However, her handling of the material is not flawless. The dream sequences are not well-integrated (in fact, they could have been left out entirely), and the last scenes are poorly handled."Titus" gets a hearty recommendation, and is a must-see for any Shakespeare buff.Note: Taymor was forced to make cuts to the film's orgy scene, but not any of the violence. Apparently, sex and nudity are still taboo with the MPAA, even if it is historically accurate (and was more than mentioned 600 years ago), but violence of any kind still gets the "A-OK." There's nothing here that earns such a restrictive rating. Actually, most of the violence is merely mentioned, and not shown. Had the film gotten a PG-13 rating, you would not hear a complaint from me.