Phenomenal - after some thought

Rating: Null/10 (16 June 2001)

I believe my first reaction to Moulin Rouge was something very akin to culture shock. Going into the film, I had seen absolutely no summaries, reviews or even previews for the movie. Needless to say, a musical that began with a narcoleptic actor plunging through the roof of an upstart writer's flat was... definitely something of a surprise.
I left the movie, with a number of songs firmly lodged in my brain entirely unsure what to say to the array of "how was it?" questions.
Twenty-four hours later I'd purchased the soundtrack... and firmly decided I loved the movie.
The acting is lovely, the music and singing entirely pretty and more than amusing (to hear old standards in a new setting... wonderful!) It was a very pleasant surprise to find that Kidman and McGregor had musical talent... and even more pleasant to discover that I truly liked both their voices quite a bit. The choreography was amazing, the setting beautiful, the costumes lovely. The plot was enthralling, wacky and heartbreaking in turn.
Okay, there were some definite moments that were made entirely of cheese, but they actually seemed to be essential. I was amused.
All in all - a rather unexpected and ultimately pleasant surprise of a movie. Lovely.