Ian McKellan as Lear was perfect. I didn't recognize any of the other names in the cast.
My favorite characters in Lear are the evil nasty sisters: Goneril and Regan; and especially Goneril - fortunately they don't get killed until close to the end because I would have missed their presence. To be honest I find it hard to track the big picture of the "plot" but all the interchanges are very fascinating.