(spoiler free)
Adapted from the classic 1815 novel by Jane Austen, Emma sees Autumn de Wilde directing a screenplay from Eleanor Catton. Anya Taylor-Joy stars in the titular role as Emma Woodhouse, a young upper-class woman who enjoys meddling in the love affairs of her friends and family. Being the latest in a long line of Austen adaptations could this, de Wilde’s feature film debut, make its mark?
Emma is most certainly easy on the eye. The production and costume design combined with the impressive make-up and hair work does a grand job of bringing all the high society sophistication to life. Unfortunately the narrative can’t match the excellence of the film’s aesthetic. The story is little more than a monotonous array of rich-people problems, centering around the insufferable title character. This isn’t fully the fault of the film as Austen admitted that few would warm to her title character other than herself, however with such an unlikeable character at the forefront of the film there needs to be other ways to engage the audience and Emma rarely manages to accomplish this.
One of the few instances when the film does succeed in offering some semblance of intrigue is when the plot finally moves away from the constant rotation of possible suitors for the female characters. Instead it makes a move towards drama that provides more than just brief and shallow romantic moments. However, it’s a shame that this arrives far too late on in the running time and is only under the spotlight for a fleeting moment in an otherwise repetitive picture.
Then there is the issue of length and with a narrative full of monotony, taking the film over the two hour mark is a mistake. The pace is far too slow to sustain viewers attention over this bloated runtime, being kept afloat only by the string of more amusing supporting characters. These characters are introduced throughout the film at frequent intervals, and each new addition helps to rejuvenate the proceedings, even if only for a brief moment until another is required. Without this wealth of characters Emma would be an utterly lifeless drama, dead on arrival.
The film owes a lot to the strength of its ensemble cast who portray these classic literary characters. There’s an abundance of talent present here that may leave you scratching your head in confusion as to why the film is not more entertaining. The likes of Miranda Hart, Bill Nighy and Josh O’Connor certainly make the most of their screen time but they and the more prominent cast members never manage to fully overcome the shortcomings of the narrative.
So ultimately spirited performances from the cast aren’t enough to make Emma a film worth recommending. Its entitled main character creates an uphill battle for itself and its attempts at comedy aren’t effective enough to win audiences over. No doubt held back by the source material, Emma never does enough to reinvent itself for a modern audience and will struggle to connect to viewers beyond the impressive visuals. Otherwise the film is far to content resting on the laurels of its cast of favourites.
Written by Hamish Calvert
★★
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Thanks to Movie House Cinemas for screening access
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