Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead Review

Film adaptations of Shakespeare’s works are certainly nothing new, nor is the concept of placing the Bard’s characters and scenarios in modern or outlandish settings. However, it’s rare to find his literary stalwarts both dwelling in the present and as creatures of the night, which is the entire basis for ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE UNDEAD, which begins its limited theatrical release today from Indican Pictures.

Set in New York City, ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE UNDEAD follows Julian (Jake Hoffman) as he struggles to make ends meet, living in the back of his father’s medical practice and still pining for his ex-girlfriend Julia (Devon Aoki). Things appear to come together when Julian lands the job of directing an off-Broadway production of HAMLET. Unbeknownst to Julian, this outlandish version of the story has been penned by master vampire Theo Horace (played to delightfully corny perfection by John Ventimiglia) in an effort to lure the actual Hamlet—also one of the undead—out of hiding. It sounds ridiculous, and indeed it is, but ultimately the film is so much fun that silliness of the plot is easily forgiven.
Read more