Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This near perfect adaptation both proves and disproves Miss Austen's view of her protagonist. Anya Taylor-Joy plays Emma exactly as Austen envisioned her heroine. The cast is great; every actor brings their A game. Mr. Woodhouse is elegantly and comically played by Bill Nighy and this movie is worth watching for him alone. Johnny Flynn is a much younger Mr. Knightley than the original but changing cultural sensibilities necessitate that change. Flynn is a very appealing romantic hero and well suited to this cast and production. I suspect Johnny Lee Miller will always be my favorite Mr. Knightley. There are many film versions of this novel and this one is one of the strongest; the only way to make it better would require a mini-series rather than 124 minutes. The script is very well done. Even this Austen reader (I've read the novel at least 8 times and watched all the adaptations multiple times) found the changes to be necessary and in no way distracting or diminishing to the story. The screenplay and the director and actors who bring it to life catch every ounce of Austen's humor and her outstanding ability to move a caricature into a beloved character worthy of affection. Wonderful sound track. Some of the absolute best settings, costuming, and staging of any period production I have ever seen. I will be watching and watching again so I can take in all the details. I really like the theatrical stage feel of this production; many of the scenes have the look and feel of period paintings. Beautiful. Charming. Engaging. Miss Austen was always making social commentary in her novels and this film captures the artificiality and privilege of the Regency high society while also showing all the characters, even the abundance of unnamed servants, as profoundly human individuals. This film is a wonderful addition to the Jane Austen catalog.