Amy Perez

Copy Editor

Many of Jane Austen’s classics have made it to film, starting with “Pride and Prejudice” in 1940, and continuing with the newest adaptation of “Sense and Sensibility” that opened in theaters on Oct. 16. There have been many versions of this beloved favorite through the years, making this the sixth.

The 1995 adaptation spoiled us with a star lineup of actors like Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant, just to name a few. Thompson not only starred as Ms. Eleanor Dashwood, but she also wrote the screenplay to the movie. Thompson’s beautifully done adaptation of the movie won Best Adapted Screenplay at the British Academy Film Awards.

I dare say that the most recent adaptation of this classic was possibly my least favorite. It just did not live up to it predecessors. Earlier films felt more colorful and full of life, other than its original in black and white. This 2026 version fell flat.

Although at times I enjoyed the lead Eleanor Dashwood, who was played by Daisy Edgar-Jones, a very strong female character, overall, she did not impress me. Most of the time the acting felt more forced than natural between characters.

It is expected that there will be some changes in the screenplay each time it is remade, but this version cut some character stories short. It was filled with awkward fake moments of laughter by Fiona Shaw who played the gossip Ms. Jennings. The youngest sister Margarett was played by an actress older than the character.

The actors playing the well-known characters lacked chemistry. At times the camera was shaky, which was distracting.

On a positive note, I have to admit that the scores were gorgeous and perfectly timed. It was that and the opening of the film that I enjoyed most. It was filled with scenes of nature and animals in their normal habitats, the grass swaying in the breeze. Those moments were perfection and beautifully filmed.

The movie ended abruptly and the handful of people in the theatres including myself did not realize that it was even the end until the credits started rolling down the screen. I give them kudos for giving it a try, but I’ll stick to my 90‘s and early 2000’s favorites.