The ghost scene in each of the three movies had different pros and cons. Overall I'd have to say the Zeffereli version did the most things right while the Almereyda version kind of fell flat on its face and lay there twitching for a little while (nonetheless, it did have a few pros). Regardless, none of the versions were exactly what I expected, as I felt the scene warranted a more subdued and mysterious tone, while the ones we saw were, respectively, mysterious, but devolved into extreme angst, scary, which also didn't really do its job, and then...I'm really not sure what to call the last one since it felt so out of place.
Zeffereli's version of the Ghost scene was probably the closest to what I believe it should look like. The mysterious music with the eerie wind in the undertones as well as the darker lighting and low voices really brought out each of the actors' character. However, I thought the lights were almost too dim. Granted, the room as dark, and the projector doesn't exactly have the best quality, but I couldn't see the ghost for over half the scene. Following that, when the scene devolved into Hamlet going into a murderous rage, the idea drifted from my interpretation. Rather than completely losing his mind, I expected Hamlet to be more composed during the end of the Ghost scene. Finally, there was a complete absence of props, save for Hamlet's writing replaced with him using his sword to etch something into the ground, something the other versions left out entirely.
Speaking of the other versions, the Branagh version was legitimately terrifying, though not in the way the producers had intended (at least, I hope). The colors were brighter, which was good, but the problem was that the tone was really dark. Flashbacks, while effective in giving a broader understanding, make it seem like the camera is on some kind of hallucinogenic. Then there's the ghost itself... my exact thoughts when I heard the disembodied voice were "my god, he needs a cough drop", and then the jump scare happened, which was completely unnecessary. This was followed by more trippy visuals, including a 15 second close up of the ghost's mouth, and not one, not two, but three clips of blood coming out of his ear, because obviously, one wasn't enough. They also showed the murder itself, which was kind of graphic, seeing the king fall off his chair, twitching, eyes rolling back into his head, but it's good it was included. This was all complimented by a genuinely unsettling musical accompaniment which portrayed a sense of "You're walking in the woods, there's no one around and your phone is dead. Out of the corner of your eye you spot him (Shia LeBeouf)."
The Almereyda version was...interesting...
It reminded me of the Romeo and Juliet set in modern times, but done better (I thought that movie was a train wreck). Granted, I still thought it was pretty bad. use of props was good, using the TV to show infernal rage, having the ghost dab at his ear with a handkerchief during the scene, but there were so many other things that went wrong. I'm not going to say not updating the language was a bad choice, but why would you have an orchard in Manhattan? It makes no sense. There was also very little musing in the version, while the others used it to convey their mood. I did like the lighting, I felt it was the best of the three considering the new setting, but what i didn't like was the ghost's exit. the others had him fade or move off screen. This one was just "Cut. Gone." No transition even, just a cut and he's not there anymore. Ending this paragraph off on a positive, I did like he more somber mood, but the setting kind of killed the bizarre feeling of the others.
While all three didn't exactly show what I expected, they did do what they set out to pretty well (except maybe the Branagh version). They also did show some background information that I didn't pick up on reading the play (Hamlet writing). Overall. they showed more than the book, but none of them were what I would've expected Hamlet to be like on screen.
