The Tempest on AllMovie

Across the Universe's Julie Taymor shakes up Shakespeare with her adaptation of The Tempest, retrofitting the fantastical tale with a female lead, casting Academy Award-winning actress Helen Mirren in what is usually the male role of Prospero. The storyline follows the newly coined Prospera (Mirren), an exiled magician who uses her powers to call upon a tempest to bring her enemies to the island she's been forced to call home, not knowing that it will bring a suitor to her daughter, Miranda (Felicity Jones). The Miramax/Touchstone release also stars David Strathairn, Djimon Hounsou, Russell Brand, Alfred Molina, and Ben Wishaw.