Sunday Best: Movies Inspired by Shakespeare Plays

Last week, I made a list of the Top Ten Adaptations of Shakespeare to Movies.  However, I received some feedback asking where movies like 10 Things I Hate About You were.  This would require a different category.  Movies like this are based on Shakespearean plots, but they do not incorporate his words. 

There is also another added level of difficulty in that ideas, themes, dialogue, and plot points have been borrowed from the Bard in a myriad of movies.  So this list current list must be selective.  The plot must have large enough plot similarities to the original Shakespearean story in order to be here. 


So here are the Top 5 Movies Inspired by Shakespeare Plays


10 Things I Hate About You
(based on The Taming of the Shrew)

While the dialogue is often not great and most of the acting is sub-par, this movie works primarily because of the fantastic charisma of Heath Ledger.  He elevates this material by being incredibly masculine and sensitive.  One of the greatest romantic moments in movies that I have seen is Ledger effortlessly sliding down the light pole while singing Frankie Valley. 

Warm Bodies
(based on Romeo and Juliet)

It is scary how much this movie adheres to the source material, but transposes It into a zombie apocalypse.  The movie is clever and funny and surprisingly strong in its theme about how love can bring us back to life.  Wonderful performances by Teresa Palmer and Nicholas Hoult

The Lion King
(based on Hamlet)

The story of Hamlet is complex, but it is primal.  This means that it can be whittled down to its essence and folded into a children's film.  The story parallels have been pointed out all over the Internet.  And while this movie does not end as tragically as the other, it does a wonderful job of capturing how Hamlet's inaction leads to more tragedy.



Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
(based on Othello)

The parallels between the main story line of this movie and Othello are too strong to ignore.  Palpatine acts as the villainous Iago, poisoning Anakin's soul under the guise of friendship until he is so enraged by jealousy that he strangles his wife to the point where he "kills" her.  I've always felt that this movie was a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions.


West Side Story
(based on Romeo and Juliet)

Dare I say that this story is actually an improvement on the original.  Shakespeare writes some of his most romantic lines for his play.  But I firmly believe that Romeo and Juliet is horribly misinterpreted by modern audiences.  I believe Shakespeare meant to show Romeo as the villain, like Macbeth, who resorts to murder because of his passions.  West Side Story not only makes Tony a complete hero (albeit one who falters in a moment of shock and grief), but the music  elevates the emotion.  I do not think anyone could make a better movie inspired by a Shakespeare play.