Sense and Sensibility review

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY: 

AN INDIFFERENT BUT LOVELY NEW SCREEN ADAPTATION! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

FOCUS FEATURES

Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles in Sense and Sensibility (2026)

 

            Jane Austen’s classic story comes to life…again in Sense and Sensibility, the latest film adaptation of her 1811 novel of the same name. I’ve never read the original book, but I have seen the 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility directed by Ang Lee and starring Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, and Hugh Grant…in fact, I revisited it before seeing this one. 

            I am far from being a Jane Austen expert, but out of the handful of film adaptations of her work I’ve seen, the 1995 Sense and Sensibility is among the best I’ve seen alongside the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice and the 2020 adaptation of Emma. I found the 1995 adaptation very captivating and charming, and the performances by Thompson, Rickman, Winslet, and Grant are all stellar. 

            Now we have this new film version of the story directed by Georgia Oakley (Blue Jean) in her second feature directing effort and starring Daisy Edgar-Jones (Fresh, Where the Crawdads Sing, Twisters) as Elinor Dashwood. I didn’t really have any expectations with this one; I saw the trailer in theaters a few times, didn’t think much of it, but it looked good. 

            Upon seeing it…yes, it is a good adaptation of Sense and Sensibility that hits all the familiar beats from the story while focusing more on the Dashwood sisters’ relationship this time around, which is an interesting approach. However, I personally was more engaged in the 1995 version because of the powerhouse cast and performances it had, but that’s not a strike against this film; it is a faithful adaptation that stays true to the source material…as far as I’m aware. 

            The film follows the Dashwood sisters, Elinor (Jones), Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles-Hanna, The Doll Factory, The Chronology of Water), and Margaret (Bodhi Rae Breathnach-So Awkward Academy, Hamnet, Shelter) who live with their mother (Caitríona Balfe-Super 8, Now You See Me, Belfast) and are at risk of facing poverty when Mr. Dashwood’s estate is passed to their half-brother, John (Tom Brooke-The Boat That Rocked, Sherlock, Preacher) and his snobbish wife, Fanny (Stacy Martin-All the Money in the World, The Brutalist, The Testament of Ann Lee). This forces the Dashwood family to seek financial security through marriage in the form of suitors: Edward Ferrars (George MacKay-Peter Pan (2003), 1917, Femme), Colonel Brandon (Herbert Nordrum-The Worst Person in the World, The Hypnosis, The Royal Hotel), and a potential third suitor in the form of John Willoughby (Frank Dillane-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Fear the Walking Dead, In the Heart of the Sea). 

            The film also stars Fiona Shaw (Jane Eyre (1996), Harry Potter franchise, The Black Dahlia) as Mrs. Jennings, Turlough Convery (Killing Eve, My Mad Fat Diary, Sanditon) as Sir John Middleton, Chloe Pirrie (The Crown, The Queen’s Gambit, Emma (2020)) as Lady Middleton, Eliot Sumner (The Gentlemen, No Time to Die, Ripley) as Mr. Palmer, and Ceara Coveney (Hoard, The Wheel of Time) as Lucy Steele. 

            Overall, the latest Sense and Sensibility doesn’t really add much new to the story outside of focusing more on the sisters compared to previous adaptations, but it’s still a beautifully crafted and exceptionally acted film that I’m sure Jane Austen enthusiasts will flock to see. Again, my only previous experience with Sense and Sensibility is the 1995 movie, and this version hits all the important scenes: Marianne tripping and hurting her ankle and being carried by Willoughby, Elinor realizing that Edward isn’t engaged to Lucy in the end and rushes back to him, Willoughby turning out to be a scumbag, etc. 

            The acting is solid throughout. Daisy Edgar-Jones coming off of Emma Thompson from the 1995 film is some big shoes to fill, but she plays Elinor very well and brings a lot of likable energy and emotional weight to the character, and has strong chemistry with Esmé Creed-Miles’ Marianne, with Jones being the “Sense” and Miles being the “Sensibility”. Frank Dillane is a huge standout as Willoughby, who does a fantastic job flip-flopping between being charming and snarly; I honestly thought he portrayed the part better than Greg Wise in the 1995 version. 

            George MacKay plays Edward well, though admittedly I couldn’t help but see Hugh Grant from the other movie every time he was onscreen. The likeness between MacKay and Grant is uncanny, but both actors fit their versions of Edward Ferrars with their dashing good looks and charisma. 

            The movie is also beautiful to look at in terms of the cinematography and production design; sure, there’s plenty of 18th-century architecture, but this film really focuses a lot on nature with tons of close-ups of insects, plants, and several scenes that take place outside. It’s not really a full-on spectacle or something that really takes advantage of the big screen, but if you can see it in a theater, do so. 

            Like I said, I personally have more attachment to the 1995 Sense and Sensibility mostly because of Thompson, Rickman, Winslet, and Grant’s performances, but this is a really solid adaptation of the story that faithfully brings the story to the screen in a unique enough way. Honestly, this is a pretty easy movie to recommend to someone. Are you a Jane Austen fan, or did you enjoy any of the other adaptations of Sense and Sensibility? Then, you’ll probably like this one too. And I don’t mean that in a bad way.