A visual blast

Rating: Null/10 (13 February 2002)

This movie excels at what it intends to do... it's la boheme spirit in it's funniest form. Surely, the story line is predictable... but then, it was never supposed to be surprising (Christian tells you in the setup how the story will end...), so, instead of predictable, the appropriate term should be 'classic' - I would not go so far as to call it Shakespearan, though. It has so many references, grand musical performances, dazzling visuals and great camera work that it at least qualifies as number one musical I have seen so far... because it is essentially light-hearted. I am a huge fan of production values, after all, that's what makes most of a movie truly appealing, and Moulin Rouge had it all. The set design was great, the acting very solid, the singing surprisingly good, the direction flawless, the camera work dazzling, the FX fun, the dancing intriguing. It surely is not the most important movie of the century, but if you are willingly to let it pick you up and be carried away by it, this movie will make you want to see it again and again... Conclusion: Spectacular Spectacular, straight A for production values, worth the DVD buy anytime.