Hamnet

Hamnet Review: Scintillating performances, yet a bit weak

Brighton Nelson

23 Jan 2026 — 3 min read

As soon as this film was released on Peacock, I threw it on to see what the hype was all about! As a casual fan of Chloé Zhao, I was intrigued to see her take on the story of Hamlet's conception and how she would bring the iconic book to the screen. While I wouldn't say this film hit as hard for me as it did for many, I'm still excited to talk about the film in today's review. I sincerely thank you for joining me, Brighton Nelson, for today's Reel Ranker review.

Such good performances. Can't complain about anything.

Per usual, I will assess the film's negatives before moving into its greatest strengths. My biggest gripes with the movie are its ending and its emotional beats. The ending felt like the perfect place to end the film, but I couldn't help but feel its execution needed a little bit more time in the oven to be as powerful as everyone was telling me it would be. And secondly, the movie lacked the oomph I was expecting, which really brought it down for me. While the performances were great, for a film revolving around a grieving family, I didn't feel nearly as emotional as I expected.

I felt completely similar about Sentimental Value and, to a far lesser extent, Train Dreams. It's probably just me, but I really didn't relate to the way that grief is shown here as strongly as many did. It felt hollow and sad, sure, but not quite a film that I was sobbing during. In a film mostly centered around the performances and portrayal of these emotions, it was hard to love it as much. By contrast, I actually felt that Train Dreams, Frankenstein, and Blue Moon were the most powerful nominees emotionally for me, where Hamnet and Sentimental Value just weren't hitting for me as strongly. Call me heartless, sue me, whatever, but I'm just being honest.

However, moving on to what's great about this film, Jessie Buckley's performance as Agnes was fantastic and really encapsulated the film's themes and the heartbreak that comes with losing a son. It's no wonder she won Best Actress at the Oscars, as she easily deserved it. Playing her opposite of the same caliber was Paul Mescal, whose interpretation of Shakespeare really shows how emotion rooted in the heart is the main inspiration behind the works of art we create. I also found all the child actors here fantastic, with Jacobi Jupe's Hamnet and Olivia Lynes's Judith bringing a ton of heart to the film.

While she wasn't the most major player, Bodhi Rae Breathnach's Susanna was acted lovingly as well. I see a lot of potential in her as an actress, especially because her performance in 2026's Shelter is a major factor in why I found that film one of the best recent throwback action films. I may not have connected with this film as deeply as many, but it was masterfully acted. While the production design and cinematography were simpler than many other nominees this year, the film was still gorgeous!

I thought this was a great scene, but I do think it could've been a decent bit better.

The Reel Ranker Verdict

Reel or Unreel? - Reel
The Reel Ranker Score: 72%
Letter Score: B+
Star Ranking: 3.5 out of 5

While the emotions didn't land nearly as hard for me as I'd hoped and expected, in part because of the lofty praise the film has received, Chloé Zhao and her team have crafted another beautiful movie with scintillating performances across the board.

Interested in checking out some other 98th Academy Awards nominee reviews? Check them out below!