Emma (2020) Review

Emma (2020) Review

 I must admit this was not a film I thought I would be seeing this week but a family member managed to convince me to see Emma so this is my review for the film. The premise of the film sees a young woman attempt to meddle with other peoples love life while craving to be an independant woman. 

Main Character

Anya Taylor-Joy is a really great actress probably known for her great performance in Split and her role in the sequel Glass. She does fit the role of Emma very well for sure, she has the look of a period drama actress and she has the acting ability to pull off the lead in this role. But the problem was with the character of Emma herself, she is just rather unlikeable, yes I understand that this was the point of the film but never in this film did I care about her, root for her or feel sympathy for her even though the film really wants you too. 

Supporting Characters

Johnny Flynn plays the main supporting role in the film and he is very good in this film, one aspect of the film I did like was his chemistry with Joy and how the two characters clashed a lot and he basically calls her out for her flaws as he is the only character that does this in the film. Billy Nighy has a role in the film and he is basically the comic relief in the film with very little character, still he was entertaining in his role and it is nice to see him in this role as I haven't seen Nighy in much recently. There are plenty of other characters in this film, probably a few too many but none of them are particularly interesting I just didn't care about any of them ore there plights because for the most part Emma didn't seem to care and that's who we see the film through. 

Story

This film is based on the book written by Jane Austen, so I expected at least an interesting narrative in the film and some depth to the characters but I just didn't find it in this film, nothing really happens in this film. The plot moves at a snails place and just focuses on the romance storylines but doesn't look past that and try and make the story more interesting. Plus I know it is based on material but this film is really predictable, the film ended exactly as I expected and there was nothing to suprise or interest me here. 

Script

The script has some funny moments and dialogue which does work but it is not good enough to carry this film as a comedy but the film doesn't have good enough dramatic dialogue to make this anywhere close to a drama. This means there was some okay moments but not enough to flesh out the characters or make them funny.

Style

Now this is a period drama, so this film looks great. All the costumes and designs are top notch, a big compliment to the people who worked on this aspect of the film because it felt very authentic. However, this films tone is never properly defined, apparently it is meant to be a comedy but it isn't that funny so it fails there. Also the pacing of the film, the film is 2 hours long but I swear feels like double that, I was so bored I cannot explain. 

Overall

Overall, if you like period dramas you might like this film but to me it is just a boring film that is just not worth a watch.

Rating - 4/10