‘Emma’ Review: Prepare to be Swept Away by its Fantasy

Say the name Jane Austen and it’s Pride and Prejudice that always seems to be the first thing that comes to people’s mind but Emma is making a comeback this year with Emma., and yes the period is a part of the official title. If you’re clueless on what the story is about, it follows Emma Woodhouse, a young, beautiful, and rich girl who lives a life of opulence and has no interest in being married, although she does enjoy setting up her friends or gossiping about the latest pairings. Yet all that changes for her as she gets closer to her neighbor George Knightley, and pretty soon she finds herself in a bitter battle for love.

There haven’t been nearly as many adaptations of Emma as there have been of Pride and Prejudice so it’s nice to see her second most popular novel get a little love. Anya Taylor-Joy stars in the titular role, and she is absolutely perfect for the character. Every scene is practically bathed in luxury with Taylor-Joy at the center of it all like a marble statue. The film definitely caters to the wealthy lifestyle where there’s no such thing as work and all these ladies do is gossip during tea time or throw extravagant parties with these complicated dances that everyone seems to know the moves to. You know the ones. There is some wonderful humor though, and it often pokes fun at the ridiculous nature of it all. Bill Nighy as Mr. Woodhouse and his constant use of standing dividers to contain the heat from the fire is one of my favorite running gags throughout the film. There’s a lot of subtlety to the humor, and it can be easily missed.

At the heart of Emma. is a charming love story, though. There’s definite chemistry between Emma and Mr. Knightley and as their attempts at avoiding their attraction to one another continue to build throughout the film it only further complicates the situation as Emma’s friend Harriet, played by Mia Goth, falls for Mr. Knightley as well. It falls into your stereotypical love triangle story tropes, but honestly that doesn’t take away from any of the film’s glamour.

Emma. is lavish and decadent with extravagant costumes and colorful sets; a royal feast for the eyes with a charming story. Whether you’re a fan of Jane Austen or period pieces in general, it’s easy to get swept away in its fantasy.