--- title: "Macbeth: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/macbeth/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/macbeth" critics_score: 73 critics_reviews: 29 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Macbeth (2015): what the critics said Critics' score 73 from 29 reviews: 23 positive, 4 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics favour Justin Kurzel’s brutal, grief-driven Macbeth, with praise clustering around the performances and visual storytelling. Fassbender’s damaged, inward-looking Macbeth and Cotillard’s restrained Lady Macbeth give many reviewers a persuasive emotional basis for the violence, while the harsh landscapes, smoke and blood make the play feel forcefully cinematic. Several reviews welcome the emphasis on bereavement and battle trauma as a way into characters too often reduced to ambition alone. The spread is wide, however, and the chief dispute is over what happens to Shakespeare’s language amid the spectacle. Even favourable reviews note lost subtleties, narrative compression and occasional excess; others find the relentless bleakness monotonous and the psychology thin. Film Comment offers a sharp dissent, arguing that the grime and gore bury the poetry and that the child-loss backstory diminishes Lady Macbeth. The disagreement centres on whether Kurzel’s images deepen the tragedy or crowd too much of it out. ## Empire — Angie Errigo Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 September 2015. Kurzel delivers a lean, mean and sensational blood-soaked adaptation that finds humanity in the Macbeths through grief over their lost child. Fassbender and Cotillard give unforgettable performances in an exquisitely shot, rigorously controlled film full of bold invention. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/macbeth-5-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Gary Goldstein Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 December 2015. Kurzel's bold, viscerally thrilling Macbeth with its brutal battle-heavy storyline makes Shakespeare compelling even for those daunted by the dialogue, aided by strong performances from Fassbender and Cotillard. The propulsive pace and technical achievements create an immersive experience. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-macbeth-movie-review-20151204-story.html) ## Variety — Guy Lodge Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 May 2015. Festival review. Kurzel's scarcely improvable new Macbeth is fearsomely visceral and impeccably performed, with Cotillard and Fassbender excelling in a thrillingly savage interpretation. The director's fervid sensory storytelling and inventive adjustments make it a standout Shakespeare adaptation. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/macbeth-review-michael-fassbender-marion-cotillard-1201500514/) ## The Times — Kate Muir Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 October 2015. Kurzel delivers a lean, mean and powerful piece of cinema that is devastating, with strong performances and visceral battle scenes rooted in the Macbeths' grief. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/macbeth-r0nz2fqwk8j) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 October 2015. Justin Kurzel’s visually rich film is no slog thanks to sublime leads who convey epic sexual confusion and heartache, with a powerful opening funeral scene adding resonance. The director’s focus on children as pawns in adult power games creates intense horror, though some stylistic choices like red filters feel overdone. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/macbeth-film-review-bloody-brilliant-royal-scots-a3071241.html) ## Little White Lies — Anton Bitel Rating 4/4/4. 1 October 2015. Kurzel's gritty, earthy reimagining of the Scottish play adds psychological depth through invented elements like the Macbeths' dead children and PTSD, resulting in a vital, intense version grounded in visceral realism. The astonishingly powerful performances by Fassbender and Cotillard are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/macbeth) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Leslie Felperin Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 May 2015. Festival review. The adaptation assembles strong elements for an intensely compelling work that filters the story through a modern sensibility with brutal violence and strong performances from Fassbender and Cotillard. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/macbeth-cannes-review-797690/) ## Time Out — Cath Clarke Rating 4/5. 29 September 2015. This brilliant, brutal Shakespeare adaptation recasts the Macbeths as damaged by grief rather than mere ambition, with Fassbender's electrifying, PTSD-haunted performance and Cotillard's subtle Lady Macbeth standing out amid the savage Highland setting. Kurzel directs like a spare, savage western. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/macbeth-1) ## Total Film — Matt Glasby Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 28 September 2015. Kurzel’s stark, brutal psycho-drama is a mighty screen Shakespeare that grounds the tragedy in the Macbeths’ loss of a child and excels in pin-drop moments amid sound and fury. Strong performances, especially from Fassbender and Harris, make it riveting despite some disjointedness. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/macbeth-2015-review/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 23 May 2015. Festival review. Kurzel delivers an unforgettable, blood-soaked reassembly of the play set in a harsh 11th-century Scotland, with visceral battle sequences, strong visuals, and a modern PTSD sensibility; the central relationship feels imbalanced, with Cotillard's Lady Macbeth overshadowed. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/macbeth-review/5087418.article) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 October 2015. Kurzel brings operatic verve and textual interpretation to the Scottish play, with Fassbender and Cotillard a charismatic dream-team pairing. The film is physical and exciting but unsubtle at times. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/01/macbeth-review-shakespeare-michael-fassbender-marion-cotillard) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 October 2015. Kurzel makes a stark, shorn-to-the-bone version set in brutal 1057 Highlands, with Fassbender and Cotillard as a cursed power couple; the mood is simmering mania with a glazed, blood-weary atmosphere. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/ead4036a-6833-11e5-a57f-21b88f7d973f) ## IndieWire — Kaleem Aftab Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 23 May 2015. Festival review. The actors salvage the film with Fassbender and Cotillard delivering persuasive turns in Kurzel's take on the tragedy. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/cannes-review-michael-fassbender-and-marion-cotillard-salvage-justin-kurzels-macbeth-61568/) ## RogerEbert.com — Christy Lemire Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 4 December 2015. Kurzel's Macbeth is a visually stunning and viscerally violent take on the tragedy that maintains the supernatural elements while emphasizing grit and immediacy. Fassbender and Cotillard's charismatic performances anchor the film despite some truncation of the story. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/macbeth-2015) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 29 November 2015. Kurzel's Macbeth is an assault on the senses with a nightmare atmosphere of blood and fire, excelling in visual and sensory storytelling though it leans heavily foul over fair. Fassbender and Cotillard deliver intense performances in this elemental adaptation. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/12/07/toil-and-trouble-the-current-cinema-anthony-lane) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 4 December 2015. The slickly handsome new Macbeth mutes some of the play's dark magic, complicating questions of fate and guilt, but Fassbender's exceptionally fine performance gives reason to see it. Kurzel's brooding palette and the leads' work stand out amid the carnage. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/04/movies/review-macbeth-starring-michael-fassbender-awash-in-gorgeous-carnage.html) ## The AV Club — Mike D'Angelo Rating C+. 3 December 2015. The film amps up the violence but subordinates the poetic language and soul of the tragedy to visceral action, resulting in a work that doesn't signify much beyond its brutal set pieces. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/macbeth-amps-up-the-violence-but-loses-the-soul-of-the-1798185882) ## Slant Magazine — Sam C. Mac Rating 2/4. 29 November 2015. Kurzel's stagey pretensions clash with his aesthetic choices, resulting in tediously recited scenes and an adaptation that fails to reshape the material effectively. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/macbeth-2015/) ## Film Comment — Michael Sragow Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 3 December 2015. The critic finds Kurzel's adaptation oversimplified and reductive, burying Shakespeare's poetry under grime and gore while leaving Fassbender and Cotillard with too little to work with. He singles out the flat, mumbled delivery of lines and the cheapening of Lady Macbeth's motivation through an added child-loss backstory. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/deep-focus-macbeth/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 30 November 2015. The brooding, bleaker-than-ever take plays the tragedy in a minor key with muted performances and long pauses, but it lacks energy and comes across as dim and less lively than other adaptations. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2015/11/review-macbeth-michael-fassbender.html) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Rating 4 out of 5. 28 September 2015. The critic praises Kurzel's intense, visually sumptuous take that uses mist, smoke and stark palettes to immerse viewers in the story of murder and madness. He singles out Fassbender's internalised performance and the fresh, disturbing reinterpretations of iconic scenes. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/macbeth-review/) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 December 2015. Kurzel delivers a brooding, dense and consistently magnificent adaptation that layers rather than streamlines the text. The result is the heaviest, doomiest and darkest version of Macbeth yet seen, and also the best. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-justin-kurzels-bloody-muddy-mighty-macbeth-starring-michael-fassbender-and-marion-cotillard-20151202/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 3 December 2015. The critic praises Kurzel's visceral, blood-soaked reimagining of the play as a directorial triumph with fresh contexts for the soliloquies, gorgeous landscapes and adrenaline-fueled action. Fassbender and Cotillard deliver intense, psychologically convincing performances, though some dialogue subtleties may be lost in naturalistic delivery. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/macbeth-review-michael-fassbender-marion-cotillard-paddy-considine/) ## Digital Spy — Ben Rawson-Jones Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 October 2015. The critic hails the visually stunning adaptation and Fassbender's mesmerising, searing lead performance that grips the senses from start to finish. He singles out the intimate focus on expressions and the uniformly superb supporting cast, particularly Cotillard's sympathetic Lady Macbeth. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a671425/macbeth-review-a-ferocious-michael-fassbender-dominates-a-breathtaking-adaptation/) ## Eye for Film — Richard Mowe Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 May 2015. Festival review. Kurzel finds a robust cinematic language for the familiar play, mixing Western and Game of Thrones vibes with powerful Scottish locations and an assault on the senses. The inspired casting of Fassbender and Cotillard puts both at the top of their game while the director deserves plaudits for sheer bravura effort. [Read the review](http://eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/macbeth-2015-film-review-by-richard-mowe) ## The Skinny — Angus Sutherland Rating ★★★★. 21 September 2015. The critic commends the bleak Scottish landscape (especially Skye) as a powerful foil to the action and the magnificent central performances. He singles out Fassbender's bristling, demented Macbeth and Cotillard's creepy, enthralling Lady Macbeth as the film builds to a strong climax. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/macbeth-justin-kurzel) ## Consequence Rating B-. 14 December 2015. Kurzel's Macbeth is a fierce, visceral vision with a superb cast that approximates a modern action film more than a cautionary tale. It features intense performances from Fassbender and Cotillard and striking visuals, though the hyper-modern tactics like slow-motion and violent effects are debatable. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2015/12/film-review-macbeth/) ## HeyUGuys — Jo-Ann Titmarsh Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 23 May 2015. Festival review. Kurzel creates a visually striking hell of Macbeth's own making with strong performances and epic battle scenes. The film is too monotonous and hastens the moral descent without showing enough of the internal struggle between honour and power. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/cannes-2015-macbeth-review/) ## Collider — Brian Formo Rating C+. 12 November 2015. Kurzel's Macbeth is a fluid, breathless, and visually stunning film that is nonetheless extremely hollow and strips too much from Shakespeare's play. It works best as a sonic and visual calling card for the director, who substitutes the Bard's poetry with visuals. [Read the review](https://collider.com/macbeth-2015-movie-review-michael-fassbender/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/macbeth.md