If you’re going to make a film about a classic story that has been re-told several times (including on the screen) then generally you would want to do something different in the way the story is told (like what Baz Luhrmann did with Romeo & Juliet). That isn’t the case though with the new version of Jane Eyre which results in a film that might be okay if you’ve never seen an adaption of the story before but makes for a bit of a dull watch if you’ve been-there-and-done-that in the past.
For those who do not know the story of the classic novel, the film tells the story of Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska – Alice In Wonderland, The Kids Are Alright) a young governess who after a tough childhood ends up working for the mysterious, Rochester (Michael Fassbender – X-Men: First Class, Jonah Hex) who is harboring a dark secret. The film also explores Jane’s time with the young St. John Rivers (Jamie Bell – Retreat, The Eagle) who becomes infatuated with her.
It really is surprising that director, Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre, Chinatown Film Project) didn’t want to do something to really put his stamp on the Jane Eyre story. Instead the film just seems to plod along not really knowing what direction it wants to go in. At times the film seems headed to become a Gothic romance although it seems that Fukunaga didn’t want to take the film into the darker areas that it could have delved in to if he wanted it to do. In fact the only thing remarkable about this version of Jane Eyre is the stunning cinematography that almost makes itself a new character in the film.
Fukunaga’s other main mistake seems to be in the casting of Michael Fassbender in the role of Rochester. To Fassbender’s credit he does an amazing job in his role but he really is too young to be playing the part and this seems to distract the audience from the story at home. Another shining light however is Mia Wasikowska who on the back of her performance in Alice In Wonderland shows that she really is one of the next big things in the World of Cinema. Her performance should let the whole world know that she is ready to take the next big step.
If you’ve never seen a version of Jane Eyre before you certainly could do worse than going along and seeing this one although it is disappointing that the director didn’t want to take the risk and do something different with a story that has been told many times before.
Director: Cary Fukunaga
Stars: Mia Wasikowska. Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell
Classification: M
Runtime: 120 mins
Buzz Rating: 
Avaialable on DVD from 8th December, 2011