Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I've noted that on IMDb, if the average number of stars is 8 or up, it is incredible. That's where movies like The Wizard of Oz or the original trilogy of Star Wars are. If it's in the 7 zone, like a lot of Disney movies, it's good and worth watching. If it's under seven, then the movie is not very popular; there are plenty of things multiple people dislike about it.So how did Emma get under 7 stars?It's a really sweet and likable movie. Not very deep in romance, so boys and men can enjoy it, too. Nor is there a complicated plot, as there are some of with other Jane Austen movies. But this has fun characters and a load of humor, which you can definitely enjoy. I have no idea how this is 6.8/10 stars.It's not the best Jane Austen story/movie, so I normally wouldn't give it 10 stars, but the rating seriously needs to go up, so hopefully by giving it 10, I'm helping the tiniest bit.I'd really give it 7.5/10 stars. Again, it's not the best Jane Austen story. It's nowhere near Sense and Sensibility or Pride and Prejudice, but if you take it from a different point of view, it beats a lot of the other books and is more worth watching any day that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.So, in the end, this deserves more than 6.8 stars, and, though it is not the best Jane Austen story, it is far from the worst and as witty and likable as ever.

An adaptation of a Jane Austen novel of the same name, Douglas McGrath's "Emma" stars Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma, a young woman living in 19th century England. Believing herself to be a gifted matchmaker, Emma sets about meddling in the affairs of various young men and women, all of whom she hopes to steer toward love.Today, Jane Austen's a bit of a feminist icon. Unlike many novelists of her time, she wrote about women's daily lives and concerns, her conception of female morality wasn't limited to chastity or prudishness, she acknowledged female sexual desire and considered women the intellectual equals of men. On the flip-side, Austen's novels at times demonstrate a class bias and are essentially always about man-obsessed socialites, privileged white girls and members of the landed gentry – the Paris Hiltons and Kim Kardashians of 19th century England.Funnier and brisker than most Jane Austen adaptation's, "Emma" is buoyed by a fine cast. Toni Collette and Alan Cumming are very good in particular, the former playing an "unsophisticated" but lovable young woman, the latter playing a church minister who finds himself wedded to an overbearing wife. Jeremy Northan plays Mister George Knightley, a dashing suitor of the type Austen loved to conjure up. A man of "good judgement", "character" and "high moral calibre", he's essentially 19th century eye-candy. Take a hike Mr Darcy.7.9/10 – See "Gosford Park", "Bright Star", Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensibility" and "The Remains of the Day".

In Jane Austin's EMMA, our protagonist Emma (Paltrow) is a 22-year-old keen matchmaker in rural 1800s England, especially when she successfully acts as a go-between between her governess Miss Taylor (Scacchi) and the middle-aged widower Mr. Weston (Cosmo), at their wedding, she is determined to find a proper suitor for her kind-hearted but diffident friend Harriet Smith (Collette), this time her aim is Mr. Elton (Cumming) from a rich family. Soon the match turns into mis-match, Emma not only sabotages Harriet's promising wedlock with a young farmer for whom she obviously has feelings, but misinterprets Mr. Elton's courtship and when the truth lays bare, Mr. Elton's real intention is towards the busybody Emma herself, he leaves promptly and quickly marries himself off, the new Mrs. Elton (Stevenson) is a obnoxious snob, epitomises the quintessential importance of being recognised by those around, which is what every dignified person ostensibly but firmly clings to. Poor Harriet is still single, but there are many things going on in the village, Emma is living with his father, her mother passed away and her sister is married, but Mr. Knightley (Northam), her brother-in-law, is her confidant. The next hopeful is Mr. Weston's son Frank Churchill (McGregor), who is exuberantly charming enough to stir Emma's uppity affection. Everyone involved actually is a pretty closed clique, soon or later, each of them will marry to each other on the basis of families of familiar backgrounds, whereas the leftovers, such as the spinster Miss Bates (Thompson) who is living with her deaf mother (Law), has to become the laughing stock with her excessive adulation and to keep her awkward predicament under her hat. Even though Emma contends that being an independent single woman is a fashion she is aspired to endorse, but she is only 22, what a wide-eyed profession!Nevertheless, everyone has his or her own hidden agenda, in the Austenland, gossips are all- powering catalysts in their inadequate social entertainment, and a blunt incident of malice towards the innocent Miss Bates from Emma, delicately caused by her own emotional slip, finally sorts things out in its own manner, Emma begins to realise whom she really falls for out of a hurtful reproach from Mr. Knightley, and the rest is in the hand of a happy ending where each unwed deserves his or her own half, save Miss Bates, unfortunately. A period costume picture strikes directly at my soft spot, and the overall performance is suitably orchestrated, Paltrow previses her triumph in Shakespeare IN LOVE (1998, 7/10) here she liberates a force of dearness despite of Emma's inbuilt flaws, she is a young lass hobbled in her rustic vantage point, and a fetching soul awaits her prince charm to pay her dues; Northam would also reprise his good-hearted gentleman stature in AN INDEAL HUSBAND (1999, 8/10), a too-perfect and role model with impeachable moral integrity may fall into blandness, but he surely peps up the much-anticipated game-changer with his ear-friendly cadence. Stevenson and Thompson, both inject bountiful comical fodder to the innocuous farce, take no prisoners in their endeavour of mockery with a scintilla of detectable self-awareness. EMMA recapitulates a mostly desired bygone cultural soil where satire and romance are embedded with ostensible proprieties and exquisite garments, a qualified Austen screen adaption indeed, leastwise, it is a lighthearted variant of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, only this time, there is too much pride and not enough prejudice to stir the entanglement.

Emma is one of my least favorite Jane Austen novels, so it took a while for me to get round to watching this version. However, I was pleasantly surprised and found it much more enjoyable than the Kate Beckinsale version.Gwyneth did a decent job, although I must state that the script portrayed Emma as a terribly spoilt snob, and I rather disliked her in the film and couldn't understand why Mr Knightley would admire her so when really, she was just dreadful. I certainly don't remember finding her so unbearable in the novel.What I love about Jane Austin's work is that her characters are so witty and endearing, despite their faults, but that was not the case in this film. I certainly didn't care for Emma one bit and would have preferred it had the totally bland but sweet Harriet ended up with him instead.Mr Knightley was a far better character in the film; far less critical, more gentle and appealing, and not the stiff, critical bore I found him to be in the novel. And the casting of Jeremy Northam was pure genius, for every girl knows that having a hunky romantic lead is essential in an Austen movie.This film was well made and did justice to the novel. The acting was rather good, but I didn't love this film the way I do other Jane Austen film's, and wouldn't be compelled to watch it again.