Jane Eyre (2011)

Don't get me wrong--I've read the novel hundreds of times, and I've endeavored to see as many film and TV adaptations of Jane Eyre as I can. Jane Eyre is and always will be my favorite novel. But I'm very surprised by the glowing reviews on IMDb.com for this version of Jane Eyre. This movie wasn't bad, but it falls way short of 10 stars.

No re-hashing of the plot is necessary since everyone knows the story, so here's what I found unsatisfying about this version: * Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska's chemistry is not that great--not the caliber you would expect from a movie version of Rochester and Jane. I didn't feel like they truly longed and desired for each other. The actors in the 2006 BBC miniseries version, Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson, left me breathless. But Fassbender and Wasikowska felt flat.

I don't think Michael Fassbender was particularly a strong Rochester either. Rochester is suppose to be eccentric, dark, brooding, and prone to sudden mood changes--charming one minute, angry the next. Fassbender got the brooding part down, but didn't really display the range of emotions you would expect from a Byronic character like Rochester.

* Too much had to be cut in order to cram the story in, and the pace of the plot doesn't flow well. I'm convinced that a good adaptation of the novel can never be done in a 2-hour movie because the novel is just too darn long.

* Judi Dench as Mrs. Fairfax? Serious miscasting and a waste of Dench's talent. You hire Dench to kick ass and take names, not be the mild-mannered simpleton housekeeper.

* Rochester is suppose to be ugly and Jane's suppose to be PLAIN. Fassbender's too handsome and Wasikowska's too pretty. But this seems to be a crucial point many movie and TV adaptations botch, so I can't hold it against them too much.

Again, it wasn't a bad movie, but not the best adaptation. My personal favorite remains the 2006 version.