November 1, 2026
When the patriarch of the Dashwood family passed away, his estate Norland Park was bequeathed to his only son John (Tom Brooke) and his condescending wife Fanny (Stacy Martin). Dashwood's second wife (Catriona Balfe) and his three daughters Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones), Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles) and Margaret (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) had to move out to a humble cottage in Devonshire owned by a relative Mrs. Jennings (Fiona Shaw).
Elinor became close with Edward Ferrars (George MacKay) when he visited the Dashwoods before they left Norland. However, he had to leave and attend to work in London. Marianne was introduced to a Col. Brandon (Herbert Nordrum) but she found him too dull. Instead, she was immediately infatuated with the handsome John Willoughby (Frank DIllane) who helped her when she sprained her ankle. Then he had to leave for London as well.
This is the second big screen film adaptation of Jane Austen's classic 1807 romance novel. The first one was the 1995 film directed by Ang Lee. The adapted screenplay won an Oscar for writer Emma Thompson, who was also the lead actress playing Elinor -- the single win of its seven nominations including for Best Picture. It is difficult to watch this new 2026 version of "Sense and Sensibililty" without comparing it with this much-celebrated 1995 version.
The main difference between the two versions was their overall look and tone. The 1995 version looked brighter in its cinematography, more elegant costumes and the sweeping romantic style. In contrast, this 2026 version looked and felt much darker, Gothic, with rawer emotional impact. But the new cast certainly had less screen impact compared to the star power of Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, and Alan Rickman of the original.
The new film did right by casting younger actors as Elinor and Brandon. In the book, both Elinor and Marianne were only 19 and 16, and Brandon should be 35. However, in the 1995 film, Thompson (then 35) and Rickman (then 49) looked so much older than Winslet (then 19). In the 2026 version, the closeness of Edgar-Jones (28) and Creed-Miles (26) felt more convincing, while the romance between Creed-Miles and Nordrum (39) felt less creepy.
The 2026 version also included a scene of a duel that happened between rival characters Brandon and Willoughby. Austen did not actually describe this duel as it happened in her book, and it was just mentioned after the fact. The 1995 film did not even bring it up at all. I felt it was a powerful scene the way director Georgia Oakley executed it, as a display of Brandon's sincere nobility, as well as making scoundrel Willoughby get his deserved comeuppance.
Sense and Sensibility (1995) 8/10
Sense and Sensibility (2026) 6/10
