Film Review: HAMLET (2025): Riz Ahmed Uniquely Plays the Title Role in a New Spin on the Bard’s Classic Tragic Story
Hamlet Review
Hamlet (2025) Film Review, a movie directed by Aneil Karia, written by Michael Lesslie and William Shakespeare and starring Riz Ahmed, Morfydd Clark, Avijit Dutt, Art Malik, Krish Misra, Rajiv Sharma, Timothy Spall, Joe Alwyn, Sheeba Chaddha and Eben Figueiredo.
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet gets a new take from filmmaker Aneil Karia. This new film is directed with a rather unusual interpretation of the harrowing tragedy from the Bard that has stood the test of time and been read in English classes for more than a substantial number of decades. Riz Ahmed is cast as the prince in a performance full of unique characteristics that helps make his Hamlet one of the most intriguing ones of all-time. Set within London’s South Asian population, Hamlet is fierce and unpredictable, even for those who know the Bard’s classic tale like the back of their hands.
This film’s story is widely known. Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude (Sheeba Chaddha), marries her deceased husband’s brother, Claudius (Art Malik), which sets Hamlet off on an initially earnest quest to try to bring justice to the given situation that disgusts him beyond belief. Hamlet suffers a downward spiral which is expertly captured in the film’s play within the movie that is showcased to make Claudius feel guilty for what he has done. That part consists of dancing and movement, and the players here do a great job bringing the play within the movie to life.
There is some intriguing casting in the new film. Morfydd Clark’s Ophelia proves to be a formidable addition to the list of Ophelias from past adaptations such as Helena Bonham Carter, Kate Winslet and Julia Stiles. Clark captures the essence of her tormented character almost to perfection as her inner depression is conveyed in the most harrowing way possible thanks to Clark’s complex and layered performance. Joe Alwyn’s Laertes is also performed terrifically by the actor who never disappoints when taking on a key supporting character in a literary film. Alwyn’s Laertes leaps off the screen with his pains and passions being revealed in a way that will tear the viewer’s heart out by film’s end.
One of the most famous scenes is when Polonius (Timothy Spall) is killed by the prince in one of the film’s best sequences. This movie is all the stronger thanks to Spall’s stellar turn as Polonius. He even surpasses Bill Murray’s great work from the 2000 version of the classic tragedy. Spall knows how to express dissatisfaction on-screen and does so to a tee here as blood is shed and there soon seems to be no turning back for Ahmed’s Hamlet. Chaddha’s best work in the picture lies in the scene where Polonius is killed by the prince. She expresses deep sorrow and Chaddha often excels in the movie overall with her fearless turn.
Ahmed delivers the “To Be or Not to Be” speech while driving in Karia’s picture. That wasn’t the best way to bring out Ahmed’s superb body movements (which are evident in other scenes within the picture) and drive the point of the speech home in the same compelling way it has been done in the past. Take the far superior 2000 version of Hamlet, for example, where Ethan Hawke delivered the speech down the aisles of a Blockbuster Video. Hawke’s facial expressions and movements were so pivotal to the success of the scene and with a side view of Ahmed’s Hamlet delivering the speech behind the wheel, the viewer can’t help but feel that something was lost in the interpretation and presentation of some of the greatest lines ever written.
While the ending of the new Hamlet is violent beyond belief, it also lacks a little something when compared to other editions of the tragedy. The intensity is there, but there needed to be more than just bloodshed to make the conclusion satisfying. It wasn’t a great idea to end the film with a long shot instead of, perhaps, several close-ups. The long shots keep the audience at too far a distance from the characters. Also, there could have been some swordplay here if there was more imagination involved.
That being said, Ahmed bites into his role with ferociousness that makes his acting in the picture far better than the movie itself. Hamlet has had some great adaptations and though the aesthetic choices mostly work here, there are sadly some missteps, and Ahmed can get a bit too wound up with his anger at times early on rather than letting it build to the film’s ultimately harrowing resolution.
All the elements were in place for a great film. Hamlet is, in the final analysis, a good film. It takes artistic liberties with the Bard’s work and doesn’t always succeed with the choices that are made. It’s still brave for taking those chances that make it more watchable than it could have been in lesser hands. Malik’s Claudius also should have had a bit more of an edge to him as a character, but that assertion hardly lessens the resounding power of the Bard’s timeless tale of suicide, murder, revenge and deceit. It’s ultimately a watchable version of a classic story which will, undoubtedly, be filmed yet again in due time.
Rating: 7/10
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