Both reviewers on our site liked this quite a bit. It's getting hammered on Rotten Tomatoes but most of those are railing about it not being true to the book. You'd think these guys have never seen a movie based on a book before.
Anyway, viewers so far like it quite a bit. The crux of my review is below:
This is a film I’ve been looking forward to since the first previews appeared. This latest interpretation of the book comes to us from Baz Luhrmann, who’s previously directed four films, including Strictly Ballroom and Moulin Rouge!, which I heartily enjoyed. All of his films are dreamy, bold and risky projects that are usually polarizing for most viewers. The Great Gatsby seems a perfect playground for such a creative imagination.
Luhrmann started right off with a look and feel that fully tantalize the senses. Everything, including the opening (and closing) titles, is curious, audacious and endlessly enveloping. Every location is simply resplendent. It seems quite obvious that one major hurdle facing Luhrmann was the necessity of selling today’s audiences on the sheer grandiose excess of Jay Gatsby. The 1920s were a heady time. Conveying that to viewers used to cell phones, laser light shows and large-screen HDTVs is no small order, yet Luhrmann delivers. When Gatsby finally introduces himself, the energy is palpable. The famous parties jump off the screen with mind-blowing decadence the likes of which none of us will ever experience while, at the same time, feeling entirely realistic.
The special effects are of the highest caliber throughout with the sound providing nuanced depth unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in a theater before. It’s not easy to spot Oscar-worthy sound effects, but this one seems a lock.
There are some missteps along the way. The film feels epic but never reaches into your soul. There’s virtually no emotion to it. I never bought into several of the key relationships — most notably the one between Gatsby and Daisy. There’s also a major question about Carroway that involves his current state both in his introduction and final scene that seems entirely unanswered and obvious, but that’s better left unsaid in a review.
DiCaprio is, as noted, a great Gatsby, but his use of the catch phrase “old sport” felt entirely unnatural and distracting.
What we're left with is a great fairy tale told with spectacular flourishes that tickles the imagination and plays with our sense of right and wrong. The journey is both effortless and enjoyable if not entirely satisfying.
Anyway, viewers so far like it quite a bit. The crux of my review is below:
This is a film I’ve been looking forward to since the first previews appeared. This latest interpretation of the book comes to us from Baz Luhrmann, who’s previously directed four films, including Strictly Ballroom and Moulin Rouge!, which I heartily enjoyed. All of his films are dreamy, bold and risky projects that are usually polarizing for most viewers. The Great Gatsby seems a perfect playground for such a creative imagination.
Luhrmann started right off with a look and feel that fully tantalize the senses. Everything, including the opening (and closing) titles, is curious, audacious and endlessly enveloping. Every location is simply resplendent. It seems quite obvious that one major hurdle facing Luhrmann was the necessity of selling today’s audiences on the sheer grandiose excess of Jay Gatsby. The 1920s were a heady time. Conveying that to viewers used to cell phones, laser light shows and large-screen HDTVs is no small order, yet Luhrmann delivers. When Gatsby finally introduces himself, the energy is palpable. The famous parties jump off the screen with mind-blowing decadence the likes of which none of us will ever experience while, at the same time, feeling entirely realistic.
The special effects are of the highest caliber throughout with the sound providing nuanced depth unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in a theater before. It’s not easy to spot Oscar-worthy sound effects, but this one seems a lock.
There are some missteps along the way. The film feels epic but never reaches into your soul. There’s virtually no emotion to it. I never bought into several of the key relationships — most notably the one between Gatsby and Daisy. There’s also a major question about Carroway that involves his current state both in his introduction and final scene that seems entirely unanswered and obvious, but that’s better left unsaid in a review.
DiCaprio is, as noted, a great Gatsby, but his use of the catch phrase “old sport” felt entirely unnatural and distracting.
What we're left with is a great fairy tale told with spectacular flourishes that tickles the imagination and plays with our sense of right and wrong. The journey is both effortless and enjoyable if not entirely satisfying.