Movie Info:
Writers:Kirk Ellis
Director: Tom Hooper
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Laura Linney, Stephen Dillane, David Morse, Tom Wilkinson, Rufus Sewell, Justin Theroux, Danny Huston, Clancy O’Connor, Željko Ivanek, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Sarah Polley, Andrew Scott, John Dossett, Mamie Gummer, Samuel Barnett, Kevin Trainor, Tom Hollander
Rating:
Studio: HBO

Release Info:
Theatrical Release: March 16 – April 20, 2008
DVD Release Date: June 16, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $45.49

History has always been a subject that I am incredibly interested in. American History was not always my favorite subject in the bunch, though I will admit that there are specific periods in American History that have always interested me. One of those periods is the colonial period and the American Revolution. Over the years there have been countless miniseries’, television, and movie productions concerning this subject matter. A particular favorite subject, especially lately seems to be John Adams. An incredible British miniseries was done a few years back that I thought would be pretty hard to top. However, that was until I had a chance to see HBO’s production, John Adams.

When America was just being formed and was coming into its own as a new nation, John Adams was there to fight for what he thought was right. Countless books and movies have been made about him and this period, though this may end up being one of the defining pieces. All of the major events are highlighted from the Boston Massacre to Adams’ final days.

It is hard to discount a miniseries that has won more awards than any other television production to date. Filled with an all-star, aptly chosen cast, John Adams gives the history lover everything that they could want in a movie and the non-history lover a riveting story that is filled with the twists and turns of real life from start to finish.

I will admit, in the beginning some of the casting choices floored me. Take for instance, David Morse. Morse has been in some pretty amazing movies. He’s been on the good side of the law a few times, in movies like The Green Mile, though he is better known for his bad boy roles, which he has played in Disturbia, The Rock, and Twelve Monkeys. After seeing him as a mad scientist distributing a germ that would wipe out the face of the planet, I got used to seeing him in those maniacal roles. He plays them better than almost anyone in Hollywood right now. So, if someone told me that this would be the man to play George Washington, in anything, I wouldn’t have believed them. Despite disbelief, in John Adams, David Morse plays George Washington and he plays him well. I don’t know if I was more impressed with the acting or with the fact that he was chosen for the role when so many probably thought he was a crazy choice.

Morse is not the only shining star in this production though and I hate to make it sound as if he is. The supporting cast is packed to the brim with talented that includes Tom Wilkinson (playing a phenomenal Benjamin Franklin), Rufus Sewell (Alexander Hamilton), Justin Theroux (John Hancock), Sarah Polley (Abigail ‘Nabby’ Adams), Zelijko Ivanek (John Dickinson), Stephen Dillane (Thomas Jefferson), and Danny Houston (Samuel Adams). As good as each of these actors are alone and in the entire cast, none of them shine as brightly as the two leads in this series, Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney, playing Mr. and Mrs. Adams.

Giamatti blew me away with his emotionally fierce and sometimes pompous portrayal of John Adams. It is easy to see why he is becoming so popular as an actor. While he once blended into things with the best of them, he’s coming out of his shell with age and emerging as a competent and worthy male lead. Still, for me, Laura Linney was the silent force of the film. They say that behind every good man is a good woman. In this case I can see that analogy playing out pretty truthfully. The two made a perfect team and that transferred over into a nearly perfect mini-series. One could easily see these performances being some of the defining performances of their entire careers.

HBO is known for their excellence when it comes to innovative television productions, but it’s safe to say that this one blew everyone away with the total package. Filled with top notch writing, excellent acting, superb use of special effects, and a delightfully subtle score, John Adams has everything necessary to keep you satisfied, even if you think you don’t like history.

The John Adams Plot
John Adams is a mini-series that is split up into seven episodes. Each of the episodes are listed in more detail below.

Part 1: Join or Die – The mini-series opens on a cold night in Boston that would later be known as the Boston Massacre. After hearing gunshots, John Adams heads to a scene where British Soldiers are firing on an angry mob filled with Boston citizens. The Boston court has the Red Coats taken and charges them with murder for firing on the crowd. As a trial is set to play out, the Red Coats hire John Adams to defend them because he is known for his honest nature and his intense love for the law. While Adams is only concerned with the truth coming out, others, including Adams cousin, Samuel and the rest of the Sons of Liberty want British blood for what they have done. The first episode takes the time to show that Adams is a former farm boy that loves his position fighting for the law. He’s a strongwilled, family man with children and a wife that he obviously loves very much. Abigail is also very intelligent, though she feels that John sometimes tries to make himself seem intelligent for the benefit of others, rather than for necessity’s sake. The two end up balancing each other out nicely. The episode depicts the changing face of Boston and comes to a close when Adams gains election to the First Continental Congress.

Part 2: Independence – This episode goes from the Second Continental Congress to the Declaration of Independence. Adams fights for independence even when other members of the Congress are against breaking off from Britain and shy away from the idea of the United States becoming its own nation. Adams is blunt, fighting for what he wants and saying whatever comes into his mind at the drop of a hat. This causes more than one political rift. Benjamin Franklin sometimes agrees with Adams but does not always vote with him due to Adams’ inability to play the game, something that Franklin excels at. During this time, with a Revolution going full swing, Mrs. Adams is left at home with the duties of raising their children. Illness sweeps through the land and it looks as if the days will continue to be dark.

Part 3: Don’t Tread on Me – The war continues and Adams travels abroad to Europe looking for alliances. He heads to France (Louis XVI is ruling prior to the French Revolution) and meets up with Franklin. Problems between the two come up when Adams refuses to play the games of the French. Franklin, does what needs to be done, enjoying lavish parties, various women and eventually gaining French backing. In the meantime, he makes it clear he does not share the same views as Adams and has him removed from the French court. With his failures in mind, Adams heads to the Dutch Republic, where despite a near constant state of illness he gains Dutch financial support.

Part 4: Reunion – As the Revolutionary War ends, Adams is sent back to Paris to negotiate the terms of the Treaty of Paris. Adams re-joins Franklin and Jefferson and briefly with his daughter Abigail, though he soon is sent to the British Court of St. James where he will work as a US Ambassador to the UK. After a less than favorable time in the UK, Adams returns home where he is greeted with the first presidential election. George Washington becomes the first president of the United States and Adams is given the honor of becoming the Vice President.

Part 5: Unite or Die – John Adams is an unhappy vice president that realizes he has no real power to do anything of importance. He finds himself in a rather useless position where no one listens to him and many of his political associates deem him as too matter of fact. The relationships that he has with people like Hamilton and Jefferson have their trials. Meanwhile, Washington excludes him from his inner circle, as well. Towards the end, the second president is announced as Adams and it is time for him to move into his new home.

Part 6: Unnecessary War – Adams suffers plenty of setbacks as president. The Federalists do not prefer his brand of leadership and Jefferson’s Republicans have problems with him, too. Both groups feel that his neutrality is nothing more than a cop out. Jefferson and Adams have a falling out when it comes to relations with France and differing opinions. While Adams does not side with France, he also does not want to go to war with them, which causes additional problems between him and Hamilton. Family troubles come to an all-time high with his son Charles and he ends up losing the presidency in 1800 despite avoiding war with France. Jefferson takes his seat as the new president and Adams retires from politics.

Part 7: Peacefield – The final installment of John Adams is wrought with death and sadness. Adams watches his daughter Abigail die of cancer and his wife also dies, though she is taken by typhoid fever. He manages to continue to pay attention to politics, seeing his son, John Quincy become president and regaining his friendship with Jefferson. Consequently the two end up dying hours apart when Adams’ was 90, on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Storyline/Plot:
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Acting:
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Audio/Visual:

John Adams has some odd camera angles occasionally, but it is hard to dispute the beautiful quality of the overall performance. Presented in 1.78:1 with 1080p, John Adams is strong and lively in all the right spots. The snow sparkles on a cold night as it falls to the ground. Equally impressive are the bloodstained soldiers or the glaring nature scenes, be it a battle field or the water under a traveling ship. When sickness strikes and blisters and boils cover Mrs. Adams they are realistic to the point of having a gross out effect.

The effects are done marvelously. They do not attempt to overtake the story, but they do not take a backseat either. The colors are just where they need to be, the blacks are decent though they do occasionally falter, and though there is an occasional moment of softness the overall level of detail is nothing short of striking. HBO made sure that a wonderful job was done concerning the video quality for this series.

While the video had a few inconsistent moments, the audio hits home from start to finish. I did not notice too many problems in this DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround presentation. Each channel is used to the best of its ability and this provides a full and robust soundtrack. The dialogue is exceptionally clear and offers a nice crisp tone to it, more often than not. The background sounds are consistent and realistic, the soundtrack while subtle, gets the job done and the booming sound of bombs are just what you would expect. All in all, there is little to complain about here. Along with the English audio, there are tracks in Spanish and French DTS Stereo. Subtitles have been included in English, French, and Spanish for those that need them.

Visual:
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Bonus Features:
The biggest complaint I have with John Adams has to do with the special features. There are no historical documentaries or debates that are included in this set. It’s unfortunate that these were not included as they would have been the shining moments of the set. There are a few good things in this 3-Disc set, though many of the things here were originally on the DVD set. If you’re upgrading I have to say that I would avoid doing so based on the Special Features.

“David McCullough: Painting with Words”: This forty minute featurette takes a look at McCullough’s life and his career. He is on hand to narrate the featurette, which has a lot of strong moments. He talks about getting started, what drew him to the Adams’ story and that period in History, and his thoughts on his book’s television adaptation. Fans will love watching this featurette.

“The Making of John Adams”: Slightly shorter, at just less than 30 minutes, this Making Of is filled with information about the production including makeup tidbits, costume stories, information on the casting and special effects, and loads more. Things get straight to the point and they remain focused all the way through. It’s not bad, as far as “Making Of” featurettes go. Fans of the series will enjoy this quite a bit.

Also included are two interactive options. The first is a pop-up Historical Guide that adds in plenty of facts and information about the time period. The second option is Character Biographies. These are text based, naturally, and vary in length depending on the character. Still, they are both decent additions to the set. The only other option included are episode recaps, which were included when the series aired on television or for people that aren’t watching this in a series of days and need a refresher.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
John Adams is an amazing series that deserves every ounce of praise that it has received. The acting is quite impressive, leaving a lasting impression with each performance turned in. The package, could have been improved in some areas, though for the most part this is definitely worth the purchase. If you already own the DVD you should know that the quality is stellar, but the special features aren’t much of a bump up at all. If you’re upgrading for the features you might as well save your money. However, if you’re looking for great quality and excellent sound, Blu-ray is the way to go! Of course, if you do not own the DVD, I highly recommend that you pick this up!

Overall Rating:

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