Garish abomination of a film

Rating: Null/10 (28 November 2004)

I had the dubious joy of watching Moulin Rouge last night on the TV and not having seen it before had a reasonably open mind about it - all I knew was that it was a love story between Nicole Kidman & Ewan McGregor set in late 19th century Paris and that the film had won all sorts of rave reviews.
I stuck with the film all of the way through but thought that it resembled a poorly directed music video rather than a film with most shots lasting no more than about 2 seconds. Indeed I'm sure that this film would not be suitable for photo-sensitive people.
I found the plot hard to follow at the best of times and then realized that the "plot" was more detailed in the TV guide synopsis than in the film itself. In all honesty the film seemed to be a showcase for Luhrman's so-called cinematography which to me as an avid movie-goer was nothing more than one big visual insult.
As others have said this is film that is loved or hated - I for one won't be watching it again as I thought that it was one of the most hyped films of recent time.
2/10 - Jim Broadbent features in this