I must admit, this movie sneaked up on me. It starts out slow, and in fact establishes a fairly low key pace through the film. But there are passionate outbursts and exciting reveals. I almost feel sorry for those impatient viewers who are done in by movies that present complex, finely drawn plots. I can only assume they would also nod off while watching an actual Shakespeare play (as in, "Why don't they speak real English?").

I suppose the details of All is True aren't all completely true, but even the Bard himself took liberty with his source materials, which, let us remember, was often history written by the winners and those whose heads weren't lopped off.

So I think the layered and admittedly slow moving plot rewards the patient viewer. I appreciated Anne Hathaway in this and wished to see more of her, and the Bard's relationship with his family is finely drawn.

If you haven't watched this film yet, check out the trivia entry on this page concerning a scene between Branagh and Dench. It is priceless. Oh, and one negative comment I saw pointed out the apparent disparity in the ages of the three main characters and the historical figures they are based on. I think such inaccuracies are a fair trade off to have Branagh, Dench and McKellon in those roles. And oh yes, the soundtrack music is superb.