Julie Taymor has been recognized as a talented director with her beautiful films such as "Frida", "Across The Universe" and "Titus". Her love for Shakespeare led her to make an adaptation of "The Tempest" and as one of the most discussed plays of Shakespeare in 20th century, it has provided very good material to the director who put to good use.
The story is loyal to the play, except for the gender of the main character. Prospera is portrayed by Helen Mirren and it is a new look into the character. Prospera is banished from Milan for she has mastered magic and she is on a ship along with her four year old daughter Miranda. The ship wrecks and the two find their way to an island nearby. It is a place for Prospera to lead and she raises her child, rules the then empty island while gaining more and more resentment from the servant Caliban. When the time comes for Prospera to put her plans into action regarding the revenge from her brother and putting her daughter in power; she creates a storm so her brother's and the King of Naples' ship wrecks on the island as well. The ship brings more than the two on the island, giving Caliban the idea of a conspiracy to bring Prospera down. Antonio and Alonso are seperated due to Prospera's magical power fueled with her magic. They find their way to Prospera and her manipulative ways. She makes sure Miranda and the King's son fall in love.
One of the most meaningful things was that prospera abandoned magic when she brought justice for what the evil people had done. This explains a lot about how "magic" was considered that time. First thing a person notices in the film is Julie Taymor's extraordinary cinematography. Her every shot is beautifully designed as if she decided to prepare an album of the most stunning views. The other thrilling thing about the film is Helen Mirren's performance as Prospera. To sum up, this film is a great choice if you like fantasy dramas with a hint of comedy.