'We are creatures of the underworld, we can not afford to love. The show must go on.'

Rating: 7/10 (27 October 2008)

MOULIN ROUGE! is visually spectacular, and the movie floats away on a childishly whimsical tune with Paris as a backdrop, and is truly an adventurous ride. Director Baz Luhrmann uses the MTV-technique of his Romeo+Juliet with even more extravagance and fun, and like fireworks the scenes are glazing with pop-music references (the 'Like a Prayer' turn is especially amusing), fairy-tale love and temptations.
And 2 hours with THIS kind of dancing, singing and emotions is almost a gay-ish blast, with its great choreography and cinematography - and in the beautiful Paris you'll be drawn down to Moulin Rouge's atmosphere were sparks fly with decadence and lust. Ewan McGregor is the angel-innocence in a world of sin (according to his father), and he's a hero wherever he sets his foot, but slips into sorrow and depression over his love's (Nicole Kidman) death. A death birthed by Moulin Rouge's tireless demands, a life where she's worth whatever a customer would pay for her.
The first act is a blast of humorous editing, colorful cinematography and surely a crazy Jim Broadbent, but the slow-paced scenes of Christian (McGregor) and Satine (Kidman), in the second and third act, clearly states a pure love, and the carefully directed scenes of Kidman alone gives a feeling that the tragedy is within reach. It's a surprisingly emotionally powerful movie, and the earlier, sprouting tunes turns into something darker, as Sting's 'Roxanne' becomes McGregor's earnest, jealous and cry-out for Satine to leave her Moulin-Rouge-life behind, and the roller-coaster introduction simply en-powers its drama as Jim Broadbent tells her Satine; "We are creatures of the underworld, we can not afford to love. The Show Must Go On.", and suddenly this tragic fairy-tale has got a meaning and message.