Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)

"A handsome adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s 1874 serial-turned-novel, bolstered by top-shelf casting and a star turn by the English countryside. After discovering an uncle has bequeathed his farm to her, orphaned heroine Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan, The Great Gatsby) is determined she will run the estate with the same tenacity as a man, and proves successful."

"What does register at every turn is a vibrant sense of time and place that pulls us into Hardy's bygone world even when the drama falters."

"Mulligan's commanding performance is an easy beacon to follow: her Bathsheba is caught between the vulnerability of youth and the strength of knowing her own value."

"It's buoyant, pleasant and easygoing. That's a recommendation of sorts, and also an expression of disappointment."

"It's solid stuff; well played, affectionately told, and still stirring in its role reversals, both personal and political."

"As a cinematic condensation, it mostly works, even if the pace sometimes feels a bit frantic."

"Mulligan is spot-on, the rest hovers between solid and forgettable."

"Nicely served on both sides of the camera, this is a concise and involving rendition."

"Extremely well done and well acted, it's an attractive, appealing, involving adaptation, just not as iconic as the '60s film."