Spectacular spectacular

Rating: 9/10 (3 February 2002)

In one word, sublime. But it is far from appropriate to describe Moulin Rouge in one word. And quite impossible to describe it accurately and effectively. You simply have to watch the frenetic first fifteen minutes, a mesmerizing assault on your eyes and ears that thrusts you full throttle into the saturated all-night bohemian underworld of turn-of-the-20th-century Paris. You have to let your jaw drop in giddy disbelief as Ewan and Nicole, atop an elephant, duel to love or not to love in the language of late 20th century pop music verse. Yes, the story is simple, the music deliberately plastic, and the entire production outrageous. But there are dozens of moments in this movie that will have you falling in love with the film in spite of yourself. Moulin Rouge unabashedly champions the greatest thing you'll ever learn; just to love the cinema and be loved in return.