William Shakespeare's Hamlet has been a staple of theater for centuries. It's widely considered the Bard's magnum opus, due to its dialogue, compelling characters and tragic ending. Cinema has even taken a fancy to Hamlet, drawing inspiration for films like Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and even The Lion King.

Along with these, there have been numerous direct film adaptations of Hamlet. Despite telling the same story, and using the same Shakespearean dialogue, filmmakers throughout the years have created their own interpretations of the tragedy. Here is a list of every film version of Hamlet, ranked from worst to, based upon Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic scores.

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8) Bruce Ramsay's 2011 Hamlet - 16.5

Bruce Ramsay as Hamlet in his 2011 film adaptation

Hamlet's dialogue and plot should be good enough to engage with audiences, regardless of the cast and settings. However, Bruce Ramsay's adaptation, which is set in the 1940s, somehow drops the ball. Ramsay's film has five reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and all are negative, giving it a whopping zero percent. It also doesn't help that the notoriously lengthy play was condensed into 89 minutes. At least it has a score of 33 on Metacritic, averaging out the movie's score to 16.5. However, Joe Neumaier of The New York Daily News describes it to be, "as airless as a tomb."

7) Mel Gibson's 1990 Hamlet - 64.5

Mel Gibson, Glenn Close and the cast of Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet (1990)

While it's odd to watch Mel Gibson play the Prince of Denmark, he was good casting for Hamlet at the time, following his memorable performances in Mad Max and Lethal Weapon. Director Franco Zeffirelli, best known for his adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, does his version of Hamlet in a medieval setting that's accurate to the play. Glenn Close gives one of the better portrayals of Gertrude as a caring mother who may have incestuous feelings about her son. The movie runs 134 minutes, and cuts out parts of the play's complex themes. Nevertheless, the film was liked by critics, including Roger Ebert, who wrote, "the style of Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet, with Mel Gibson in the title role, is robust and physical and -- don't take this the wrong way -- upbeat."

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6) Ethan Hawke's 2000 Hamlet - 64.5

Ethan Hawke as Hamlet in director Michael Almereyda's 2000 reimagining, set in modern-day New York

Following the success of Baz Luhrman's Romeo + Juliet, modern retellings of Shakespeare became popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The modern-day reimagining of Hamlet takes place in New York City, where Ethan Hawke's prince is the son of a recently dead CEO. His Hamlet is unique, portrayed as a film student who turns his famous soliloquies into short movies. Critics didn't give it the same praise as the more ambitious adaptations, but the movie was well received. Ebert even wrote, "I like the way the material has truly been 'adapted' to its modern setting without the language being adulterated."

5) Campbell Scott's 2001 Hamlet - 68.5

Campbell scott as Hamlet in his 2001 film adaptation.

Campbell Scott's three-hour TV movie is an obscure and underrated adaptation of Hamlet. Although Shakespeare stories often feature British actors, this is a rare interpretation in which all the actors are American, in a turn-of-the-century America setting. Scott may not be a household name, but he gives a terrific performance as the Dane, and delivers every soliloquy well enough for modern audiences to relate to Hamlet. Scott's vision of the traged was approved by critics, including Ken Eisner of Variety. "Campbell Scott's self-helmed Great Dane is more than ever a man for our time," Eisner wrote.

4) Laurence Olivier's 1948 Hamlet - 88.5

Laurence Olivier in his famed 1948 adaptation of Hamlet.

Laurence Olivier is often considered the finest actor of his generation. In 1948, the world was fortunate to witness him play the role he was born for (and direct himself). His Hamlet remains the only direct-Shakespeare adaptation to win the Academy Awards for Best Picture and for acting. What makes Olivier's film stand out is the gothic atmosphere of the Denmark castle, and the emphasis on Prince Hamlet's alleged oedipal complex with his mother. Despite shortening the play to the point of cutting out several supporting characters, critics still praise it to this day. The New York Times' Bosley Crowther wrote, "The matter is settled; the filmed Hamlet of Laurence Olivier gives absolute proof that these classics are magnificently suited to the screen."

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3) Kenneth Branagh's 1996 Hamlet - 95

A massive wedding in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet

A big reason why Hamlet hasn't been adapted for the screen that much is because a full, unedited performance could take over four hours. However, Kenneth Branagh took on the mammoth project of a Hamlet movie filmed in the play's entirety, clocking in at 246 minutes. Set in the 19th century, Branagh's Hamlet is filmed in the spirit of a David Lean epic, like Doctor Zhivago or Lawrence of Arabia. One of the highlight performances in this all-star cast is Kate Winslet as Ophelia, who captures the tragic heroine's breakdown tremendously. Despite somehow not having a Metacritic score, critics certainly loved it, with James Berardinelli of ReelViews writing, "I have seen dozens of versions of this play (either on screen or on stage), and none have ever held me in such a grip of awe."

2) Grigori Kozintsev 1964 Hamlet - 100

Innokenti Smoktunovsky as Hamlet and Viktor Kolpakov as the Gravedigger in Grigori Kozintsev’s 1964 film

Although Grigori Kozintsev's Hamlet is spoken entirely in Russian, and does not have a score on Metacritic, it holds a perfect 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Made in Russia during the height of the Cold War, Kozintsev's Hamlet makes sure to include the complex Denmark politics of the play. The castle is a character itself, as plenty of scenes are shot through bars and gates, emphasizing how it's a prison to Hamlet. Even in black and white, the widescreen cinematography is stunning, with long shots of beautiful scenery. Reviewers continue to adore it as one of the more influential Shakespeare films, including Los Angeles Free Press critic Richard Whitehall, who wrote, "it is the fluency with which the poetry has been translated to the visual, the careful orchestration of speech and movement, [that] makes this an outstanding movie."

1) David Tennant's 2009 Hamlet - 100

David Tennant in the 2009 adaptatin of Hamlet

Following his remarkable run as The Doctor on Doctor Who, David Tennant introduced Hamlet to a new generation of fans in this television film from the Royal Shakespeare Company. Teamed up with Shakespeare legend Patrick Stewart as Claudius, the charismatic Tennant displays the Dane's wit, humor and madness that's often overshadowed by his melancholy in other films. It doesn't have the budget of its ambitious predecessors, but the use of a single-camera setup works well in this compelling TV movie. While the current-day reimagining of Hamlet doesn't have a score on Metacritic, it still has all fresh reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, including one from Christel Loar, who wrote, "the principal performances are nothing short of phenomenal, and the entire company should be praised for a momentous accomplishment in bringing it from stage to screen."