Jane Eyre is the newest adaptation of the classic Charlotte Bronte novel written in 1847. This is the 16th film adaptation of the book, yet I'm sure I'm not in the minority when I say that I have never seen an adaptation or even heard about the novel before this entry. So if you're looking for a comparison to the source material, you're not gonna get it. Regardless, a movie should stand on it's own and appeal to people who haven't read the book.
 
Although I'm new to this story, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that it's probably pretty close the source. The dialogue is very classical, almost Shakespearean at times. Meaning that there were definitely moments that lost me in all the fancy talk. But for the most part, I was able to keep up.  
 
And I'm certainly glad I did, because there are definitely some sparkling moments of dialogue here. Each character is well fleshed out and extremely complex in their behavior. Which again, can sometimes make the movie hard to follow. 
 
To put simply, the film seems to follow a literary narrative too closely at times, thus feeling meandering. Usually a film without traditional narrative can be quite annoying, but thankfully, there is more to enjoy here than just the story. 
 
Most noteably are the performances. Mia Wasikowska(Alice in Wonderland) is surprisingly fantastic here as the titular character, really giving a feeling of complexity to her character. Equal praise can be said for Michael Fassbender as love interest Fairfax Rochester, who we are never sure what his true motivations are. 
 
So on a pure character level, Jane Eyre soars flawlessly. 
 
Also aiding in distracting from the flawed narrative is the production. In particular the cinematography. In 1800's England, there are some beautiful shots of castles and sweeping landscapes. All of this is enhanced by very artistic lighting that certainly evokes the gothic nature of the film. 
 
Now what is really not any good are the special features. There are a few featurettes that are supposed to give you more depth into the characters and production, but they are no more than ads for the movie. 
 
But whether or not you should own it on Blu-Ray, its really a mix bag. For the most part, the HD transfer looks great. But there are still plently of moments in darker lit scenes where the blacks get very grainy and can be bothersome. Personally, I wouldn't go for a Blu-Ray beacause those flaws outweigh the justification of the price.