Sense and Sensibility (United Kingdom/United States, 2026)

It is a truth universally acknowledged that of all Jane Austen's completed novels, Sense and Sensibility is the least accomplished. As the author's first published work, this tale lacks aspects of the depth and humor that would infuse her later books. Nevertheless, for Austenites and lovers of period-piece romantic comedies, it remains a classic of 19th-century literature. This latest adaptation, directed by Georgia Oakley from a screenplay by Diana Reid, does not attempt to replace the masterful 1995 version (which starred Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, and the incomparable Alan Rickman); instead, it offers a refresh intended to give today's audiences a new interpretation.

Ang Lee's translation, working from Thompson's script, occasionally expanded the canvas beyond the source material, opting for surgical excisions that better focused the romantic elements. This movie is overall more subdued, not leaning as strongly into the romance and restoring elements that the Lee/Thompson collaboration removed while condensing others to bring the story in at just over two hours. Purists may grumble a little, but most who don't have the text committed to memory will be unbothered by any changes. The heart and soul of the novel remain intact. There's a little humor, a twinge of moral outrage, echoes of tragedy, and plenty of PG-level yearning. The film gives us a kiss – which is one more than Austen chronicled – but that's as steamy as things get.

The story centers on two of the three Dashwood girls: "old maid" Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones), the 19-year-old protagonist who is wont to keep her emotions carefully bottled up, and 16-year-old Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles), a free spirit with a penchant for making bad decisions. They live with their younger sister, Margaret (Bodhi Rae Breathnach), and their recently widowed mother (Caitríona Balfe). The death of their father brings turmoil to their household. His estate has been left to his oldest son by a previous marriage, John (Tom Brooke), and they continue to live in their home only by his sufferance. He and his wife, Fanny (Stacy Martin), move in, along with Fanny's brother, Edward Ferrars (George MacKay).

The attraction between Elinor and Edward is instantaneous and powerful, but neither admits it openly. Meanwhile, Marianne catches the eye of the quiet and intense Colonel Brandon (Herbert Nordrum), though she is far more interested in the dashing John Willoughby (Frank Dillane), who rescues her when she sprains her ankle during a waterside outing. However, this being Jane Austen, the most charming male character typically hides a secret. (See also: George Wickham, William Elliot, Frank Churchill, Henry Crawford, and John Thorpe.)

The success of an adaptation of any well-known and much-beloved literary classic typically depends on how effectively the writer and director bring the essence of the book to the screen. In this case, Oakley and Reid do a workmanlike job. Their rendering of the 1810s has a lived-in feel: familiar in its human emotions yet foreign in its social customs. Although there is no single scene with the sheer emotional force of Emma Thompson's breakdown in the 1995 film, both Edgar-Jones and Creed-Miles have moments of quiet power. The humor is mostly understated, dialing back much of Austen's social satire in keeping with the production's more melancholic tone.

The litmus test for gauging one's appreciation for Sense and Sensibility is a simple one. Those with an affinity for stories of this nature will likely find that the picture succeeds, while those who tend to find Austen boring, naïve, or dated will not be converted. While the plotting may be simplistic (historically one of the biggest criticisms leveled against the book), the characters are well-developed and sympathetic, and the courtships are deftly handled. Many of the weaknesses evident throughout are inherited from the source text; the filmmakers do their best to sand down some of the rougher edges. I wouldn't consider this to be the definitive big- or small-screen version of Sense and Sensibility – that title still belongs to the 1995 effort – but it's a worthy successor and a reminder of the timelessness of Austen's writing.

Sense and Sensibility (United Kingdom/United States, 2026)