tbruno46 I love Jane Austen and Emma is one of my favorites, but this version is awful, can't believe I wasted my money. I usually prefer the BBC versions but not this one. The leads are horrible, no chemistry, Emma does not come across as a rich refined young woman but comes across as a bratty teenager. Even her clothes are not classy, she wore the same outfits over and over again. Harriet Smith seemed more upper class than she was. I'll stick to the Gwyneth Paltrow or Kate Beckinsale versions. Knightly was too young and wimpy.

cdnjq I only just recently watched the 2009 Emma, and have previously only seen the version with Gwenyth Paltrow. When I first started watching this adaptation, I wasn't quite sure I would like it. Emma and Mr. Knightley didn't "look" as I pictured (Emma was supposed to be a brunette and not quite so tall, and Mr. Knightley was supposed to look older and just be more "authoritative" looking!).As it went on (and over multiple viewings), RG and JLM really won me over with their interpretation of the roles. Emma (and Mr. Knightley) are just so likable, and I love how clear it is throughout the movie the affection (as a "brother", friend and then suitor) that Mr. Knightley has for Emma, despite their spars. They both seem to genuinely "like" each other, as they should, having known each other all their lives. Furthermore, there is much conveyed through their body language and expressions that I didn't appreciate until I went back and re-watched some scenes.I have many favorite scenes, but the ball at the crown inn is a highlight (sigh, so much is felt without a word being said!). I also especially love the proposal scene, as Mr Knightley looks so vulnerable and dejected when he finally asks her if he ever has a chance (and why wouldn't he, when she just told him to stop talking!). I really felt for him, and was so happy for him that he finally got all that he deserved!There were a few things I didn't like, one being the pivotal scene where Mr. Knightley reprimands Emma at Box Hill. It wasn't terrible, but in the book, it is supposed to pain him to do so. In this movie, he seemed only to be yelling at Emma. Also, Jane Fairfax didn't act or look like the Jane Fairfax I envisioned. I didn't love some of the new scenes that were added. (For example, the scene were Emma declares that she and Mr. Knightley cannot marry, I found to be a bit melodramatic)Some of the criticisms for this version include comments that some of the mannerisms are too modern for the period, but I'm OK with that. To me, they made the characters more relatable.Overall, I really liked this adaptation. Not perfect, but great in many ways!

nechievelasco This is such a fun, refreshing mini-series. Wonderfully cast -- you can see the chemistry between Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller. The banter is very enjoyable! I found myself smiling all throughout the series and laughing at the wit of the characters.The first time I watched this, I found myself glued for four hours. I watched it a second time, and had a better appreciation of the story. I was still laughing at the lines and the wit! JLM is perfect as Mr. Knightley, he is funny in the sarcastic moments and yet can make ladies swoon during the moments when he shows such gentlemanly behaviors.I guess the only drawback I had here was that Isabella Knightly looked older than Anne Weston. I think Mrs Weston should have looked older since she was their governess. Also, George Knightly looked younger than John Knightly, but he is obviously the older brother because he was master of Donwell Abbey. Other than that, everything was just right.

andrew-842-657184 I was looking forward to this adaptation of Emma, one of my favourite books; when I read some of the enthusiastic reviews on this site, I was encouraged to splash out on a full price DVD - and, wow, was I disappointed. The worst aspect, by far, is the dreadful script: the language wanders erratically between a clumsily put together string of rather dreary twentieth (not twenty-first) century expressions and the (very) occasional emergence of mangled bits of the original dialogue. The casting, too, is awful: Emma is supposed to be young and, though rather too self-assured, essentially quite good-natured - this version has a brash and bad-mannered heroine, shouting at people, and not just getting it all wrong but scarcely recognising that she is making such a mess of other people's lives, not just her own. Actually, from this point of view, the casting of Mrs Elton and Emma would have been much better swapped around. Knightley was a rather sad lightweight, and Mr Woodhouse far too decrepit (although a valetudinarian, he should not be portrayed as older than his early 50s). Miss Bates was quite good, but given far too few lines to say; and most of the mistakes and misconceptions which give the plot its wonderful character were clumsily handled. I had just recently found and watched for the first time the 1972 BBC adaptation, and found it utterly delightful; and for a foreshortened version, I don't think that the Kate Beckinsale 1996 one has been bettered. I really cannot see why the BBC bothered to make this version; it is so much worse than the 1972 one, and has no redeeming features that I can see at all.