Rating of
2.5/4
Review: The Great Gatsby
MikePA - wrote on 05/12/13
Baz Luhrmann's version of The Great Gatsby is, for the most part, an unremarkable film with few key moments of greatness. The film is ultimately what I feared it would turn out being - style over substance. It's bloated with intense style and bombastic visuals, and it's as clear as daylight that Luhrmann preferred putting his mindset on those elements rather than the true heart of the story.
I read the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald last year in 10th grade, and the only film adaptation I've seen was the TV movie with Paul Rudd. In this film the story is definitely there, which is what really makes this film worth while because we all know that it truly is a great story. As for Luhrmann's execution, it's engaging enough to be satisfying. In terms of events and character confrontations, it's very faithful to the source material. What's missing is the heart of the book, but we'll get to that later.
Also working are the performances, which are insanely good. The casting is undeniably first-rate, as we have Leonardo DiCaprio, who breathes life into his performance as Gatsby, Toby Maguire as Nick Carraway and Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan who both provide exactly what's needed from their characters, and Joel Edgerton who provides noteworthy standouts as Tom Buchanan.
The central problem with the film, however, is just that it's all gloss and colors and 3D in favor of characters and heart. I can't deny that the visuals aren't gorgeous. They truly are, and the 3D is actually pretty great, but underneath all of that flash is empty nothingness. Luhrmann keeps you fairly interested in what he's provided story wise, but in the end we're not really feeling much for these characters. It felt as if they were each thrown into the film one by one without any development.
Back on the topic of visuals - while they are nice to look at, they really do feel bloated and overwhelming. Way too much CGI and in-your-face style for a Gatsby film. You can say Baz Luhrmann was trying to capture the 1920's "feel," but it wasn't that good of a success. I didn't know the roaring 20's consisted of Rap and Hip Hop - you know, instead of Jazz.
Some very good individual scenes and great performances makes it a decent movie to sit through, but due to the lack of heart and meaningful characters it isn't very special. It's a lovely, but soulless adaptation of a terrific story.
2.5/4
