I love Macbeth. There’s so many deeply personal reasons it remains my favorite of Shakespeare’s plays. Throne of Blood (which has an even cooler title of Spider Web Castle) is my most beloved of Kurosawa’s films, I portrayed Macbeth in a parody play my friends and I wrote and performed, and working in the theatre world allows me to constantly see the ridiculous superstition surrounding “the Scottish play.” I’ll sometimes substitute “Macbeth” for any of the usual curses one uses in the comfort of their home, just to witness my fellow co-workers squirm with unease. I’m not a good person.

All that is to preface how in the bag I am for this new iteration of the classic tale. Fassbender and Cotillard look like pure dynamite (considering they’re reuniting for Assassin’s Creed, I’m betting this will be the better outing for the two of them), the production design is gorgeous but not unbelievably extravagant, and there’s a visual sense of blending the classic with a more modern eye. My only real question is how the more supernatural elements will be portrayed, as that’s always been a favorite element for me.

And how dope does Fassbender look in those fight scenes? And that eerie chanting of, “Hail Macbeth!” really drives home the whole portentous nature of the story. It gives me goosebumps.

Macbeth creeps in this petty pace to theaters on December 4. You lucky redcoats get to see it on October 2. Home town advantage, I guess.


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