The previous film in this series felt like it was building to something, and Richard III is what it is. I enjoyed watching the previous films, although they had their faults, mainly because I had only ever seen Richard III in isolation, so it added appreciation for me to see the story leading the character to this point. It shows his descent well, and delivers the violence and horror of it without overdoing it in the way the previous film did (in terms of battle and gore). I'm not sure how much of the original is stripped away, but I found that it moved well, was easily accessible, and pretty fluid in its delivery as a film. Perhaps it was a bit too fast when it came to the violent political moves being made by Richard, because it did feel like they were piled on top of one another, but it didn't really detract from their impact.
The production as a whole uses locations well in the same way as the previous films did. The starry cast deliver the goods, with Cumberbatch in particular doing very good work throughout. He is well supported by people like Dench, Daniels, Fox, Fleet, and others. Okonedo in one scene is just as good as she was in the previous film, but her presence in the rest of the film doesn't really work - although not through anything she does. All told, it is a very good production, easy to watch, accessible, and well delivered across the board.
