Good Lord! Spectacular!! (Some Spoilers)

Rating: 10/10 (17 March 2002)

*SPOILERS*
First of all, let me just say that Moulin Rouge has got to be one of the most original movies of 2001. I only recently brought the video in March 2002, but all the same I love it. As with most, I saw the trailer when it came out on cinema and shrugged it off as some Hollywood fad and ignored it. That was before I found out who directed it. BAZ LUHRMANN!!!!
This man is truly a God amongst Directors. The cinematography and direction (Not to mention dialogue and humour) for this film gets top marks from me because Baz is my favourite director - I LOVED Romeo and Juliet.
McGregor knocked me six ways from Sunday when he opened his mouth and belted out the romantic power ballad 'Your Song'. Everything just seemed to silence at that moment. (Baz knew this because the lights of Paris all lit up too) I couldn't find a fault with his voice at all, nor his acting. It was so much better and natural than his wooden performance in Episode I.
Kidman did a nice job, though her voice took a little warming to. It's quite thin and high, but worked surprisingly well with Ewan's voice. She certainly did a good rendition of 'One Day I'll Fly Away' though I was more impressed with her 'Diamonds are a girl's best friend' and 'Come What May'. I was particularly impressed with Kidman's acting skills. I've never really watched any of her films, and was pleased to see she could switch from a raving loony prostitute to doing a good job and coughing and wheezing  it sounded so real!
Though the plot is straightforward and simple, Baz managed to make it something new and interesting in the best way he knows how; through pure and utter LUNACY. This was great. Baz certainly picked a clever way of introducing the co-stars  A narcoleptic (of all things) Argentinean falling through his roof and a Dwarf with a unusually long name (dressed as a nun) running into his room, then all of a sudden he winds up helping them on a play. Genius.
A simple, zany and tragic love story (slightly reminiscent of both Romeo and Juliet and Titanic) Baz has redefined the genre of musicals. The singing was up to par, the dancing was moving (no pun intended) and the songs chosen were as if they were secretly written for the film twenty or so years ago. Fantastic. 10/10.