HBO's new production of As You Like It, directed by stage and screen veteran Kenneth Branagh, is Shakespeare as you've never seen it.

Instead of the traditional English setting, Branagh transports the romantic comedy to 19th century Japan. It's a bold move that, coupled with his parsing of the three-hour drama down to about 135 minutes, should make for delightful entertainment.

Even so, the production hits the mark only half the time, and then due mostly to a stellar cast.

Like many of the Bard's plays, As You Like It can be convoluted. The plot: A feudal duke named Frederick (Brian Blessed) usurps his older brother Senior's throne and drives the existing ruler and his court into the Forest of Arden.

That leads to numerous complications, including the infatuation of Senior's daughter Rosalind (Bryce Dallas Howard) with Orlando (David Oyelowo), an impoverished nobleman. Orlando has shown up at court to confront his elder brother, Oliver (Adrian Lester), who failed to provide for his education as stipulated in their father's will.

Rosalind and her cousin Celia (Romola Garai) are banished from the court. They wander the forest with the fool, Touchstone (Alfred Molina). They encounter an old shepherd and his ward, insinuating themselves into the latter's unrequited love affair with a local lass. Nearby the exiled duke (also played by Blessed) holds court in the forest with his followers, who include the melancholy philosopher Jacques, expertly played by Kevin Kline.

As You Like It starts slow (or fast, if you consider that the opening scene includes a samurai attack on the elder duke's court) and takes a while to find its comic stride. Indeed, not until the second hour - when Rosalind dresses herself as a man to toy with Orlando's affection - does the cheeky romantic banter associated with Shakespeare come to the fore.

Branagh has done a good job of cutting down the script, eliminating repetitious dialogue (and the plot recap introduced at the start of each act onstage) and giving the material a more naturalistic flow. Well, as naturalistic as Shakespearean language can sound to modern ears.

The Japanese setting adds little to the plot, save for costuming and the ethnicity of some supporting characters. And for all his experience directing Shakespeare (this is his third film, after Henry V and Much Ado About Nothing), Branagh sometimes favors scenery over exposition. Shakespeare is littered with soliloquies, which can stop the action dead in its tracks. Kline's delivery of the famous "All the world's a stage" speech is syntax-perfect, yet he delivers it from the crook of a tree while other cast members lurk nearby. The camera zooms and glides as if over-caffeinated.

OK, so it's not Transformers. Language is the key here, not action. In the hands of Blessed, Kline and relative newcomer Oyelowo, what you hear is often more compelling than what you see.

As You Like It

• When and where: 7 p.m. today, HBO. Repeats Saturday, Aug. 29, Sept. 2, 6 and 11. Also plays on HBO 2 Sunday and Aug. 31, Sept. 4, 17, 23 and 27.

• What: A Shakespearean romantic comedy set in 19th century Japan.

• Verdict: Great acting, but the plot is still a bit convoluted.

pearsonm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2592.