Emma Movie Review: I Stan Anya Taylor-Joy and a Great Period Movie
Coming off of my The Queen’s Gambit high, I was super excited to watch Anya Taylor-Joy in action again in Emma, a 2020 movie re-imagining of Jane Austen’s beloved novel of the same name. The movie is currently available on HBO Max and I am very pleasantly surprised by how hilarious and enjoyable it is. Emma is a comedic story about a rich young girl who lives with her aging father, and loves to meddle in the romantic lives of the people in her little town. Her meddling often causes more mischief than good, and this movie is about some of the shenanigans she gets into and the way she is able to eventually grow and learn from her mistakes. At its core, it is a romantic comedy that is set in England in the 1800s. I think this re-imagining is full of gorgeous cinematography, unpredictable moments, and incredible performances from the entire cast. As a feel-good movie, it does the trick, and if you have any love for Jane Austen or period movies/dramas, this is definitely for you.
Anya Taylor-Joy is a star and I think she can do no wrong. Her performance shows us a wide display of emotions and captures the hilarity of Emma perfectly. I actually watched this movie twice (which is not something I do often with movies), and I cried both times at the end.
What I found absolutely hilarious was watching some of the actors that I have previously seen in very different settings embody the ridiculous characters in this story. For instance, Josh O’Connor plays Mr. Elton in Emma, but I originally know him as playing Prince Charles in the Netflix drama, The Crown. While Mr. Elton is ridiculous and even despicable at times, Prince Charles is incredibly serious, so watching the contrast between those roles had me cackling a bit harder than I anticipated. But to that point, I did not expect this movie to be as funny as it was. It’s so quirky in the way it’s able to capture humor. For instance, there’s one scene (don’t worry, this isn’t a spoiler) towards the end that involves some “blood” that was definitely not in the book, but it was so unexpected and well-executed that I absolutely loved it. Major props to the creative team behind this story for being able to take a well-beloved text and craft it into something fun and enjoyable. There’s also the fact that there are multiple filmed adaptations of Emma, which might make audiences think, “Are all of these adaptations really necessary??". But if you give this 2020 version of Emma a chance, I think you’ll find it well worth your time.
In conclusion…
Emma is funny, quirky, and engaging. I think the cast is incredible, and I especially loved watching Anya Taylor-Joy in the leading role of Emma. I might be one of her biggest fans at this point, because I think this young lady is a superstar and can do anything she wants!! I loved the chemistry between Emma and Mr. Knightley in this adaptation, and I felt my heart fluttering and getting excited at the romantic moments. This movie certainly does the novel justice, and I would recommend it!