Simply without compare...

Rating: Null/10 (17 March 2002)

I am astounded at the range of reviews of this movie -- from `best ever' to `dismal failure.' Wow! I think one thing is certain; this movie is like no other I've ever seen, and I enjoyed it tremendously.
One user-reviewer described it as formulaic, which couldn't be further from the truth in my opinion. Sure it's a tragic love story, and I suppose you could call that formulaic, but by that definition, 99% of films are equally so. The film is stunning in its creativity, its energy, its sheer spectacle. The blending of old and new in the sets, the costumes and the music were truly remarkable. I'm surprised no one has commented on the opening scene with John Leguizamo's Toulouse-Lautrec singing a melancholy song of lost innocence from high atop the famous Moulin Rouge windmill. This is one of the most memorable opening scenes in any movie, ever.
The cynicism of the movie critics is understandable  after all, they let others create while they stand off to the side and throw verbal darts. But for the rest of us, Luhrmann has created something unique and timeless with this film. When Hollywood seems to crank out the same-old-stuff over and over again, it is refreshing and immensely enjoyable to experience this film  in all its wild extravagance.