I recently watched Henry IV part 1 in this series and was left a little cold by it as I didn't feel that it delivered a great deal to be in terms of meaning and edge and that, while the production values were high and the story was engaging, I felt that the language wasn't as gripping as Shakespeare can be and also that subtext and meaning was not brought out as it should have been. Although not a total success part 2 really does deliver quite a lot and the themes within the material came over more clearly to me. The play sees Prince Hal maturing into the king we know from Henry V while at the same time his father struggles with the manner in which his reign came to be and the fallout from it. Meanwhile Falstaff becomes more of a tragic figure whose only hope is that his lies and supposed connections will somehow pay off.
These character-focused things continue against the backdrop of fallout from the challenge to Henry IV from Wales and it makes for a busy and interesting story which is delivered well in under two hours. Although it spends a lot of time with characters and places that I thought of as "side issues" in part 1, here they are given more meaning – developing character but also shedding light on other plots by virtue of their relation to them. I enjoyed seeing Hal change as a character through the film and mature into something much more regal and suitable for the throne – harsh in some ways but ultimately appearing to act for the greater good. Likewise Falstaff was much more to me than he had been before. From the very start he is more sombre and less of a clown – feeling his age, less confident in his wit and also suffering from ill health. He contrasts very well with the change in Hal and, although tragic, the end of the film makes his fate clear and clearly deserved in the bigger picture.
Originally struggling to forget his role in The Avengers, I liked Hiddleston a lot here, he had a confidence and understanding of his character that perhaps he was not allowed in the tone of the first film. Likewise Irons does better as there is more meat to get his teeth into; of course Beale benefits the same as Falstaff. The supporting cast features quite a few famous faces giving solid supporting performances (Glen, Palmer, Walters etc) and it feels strong in quality without feeling starry for the sake of it.
Having not been overly impressed by the previous two films in the Hollow Crown series, Henry IV part 2 really worked for me; it keeps the same serious tone throughout but it brings more out of the words and characters than I got out of the previous films. The material is more engaging in my opinion, but the version seems to do more with it as well. I am now looking forward to the final part of this series – partly because it will be the first time I have seen Henry V in the context of the previous three plays and not just as a standalone piece.