The term 'style over substance' was invented for this movie

Rating: 3/10 (2 January 2014)

"Moulin Rouge!" is a film filled with glorious sets, vibrant colors, well choreographed dance and music sequences, memorable costumes, and an active atmosphere. Unfortunately, the same care that goes into the style of the film does not go into the romance or the plot. It can be fun to look at, but it is not fun when you are actually looking for something beyond the look of the film.
The scenes are rich and festive, filled with a lot of eye candy and glamorous colors to get your attention. A problem with this is that the film is shot so quickly that you do not have time to admire the visuals and are instead assaulted with quick shot after quick shot of them that does not allow you to take it all in.
The movie is more interested in showing off its visuals than it is at giving the audience a story that the visuals can all fall back on. Christian (Ewan McGregor) is our run-of-the-line tragic poet who came to Paris against his father's wishes and believes strongly in things like love. After one brief meeting with the Moulin Rouge's star, a courtesan named Satine (Nicole Kidman), Christian is in love. While at first she is not in love with Christian, singing a few parts from present day songs a few scenes later makes her realize she is in love. Unfortunately for the two, Satine must sleep with the Duke (Richard Roxburgh) if she is to get out of the Moulin Rouge and become a real star. These events gives off one of the most clichéd love triangles of film history.
By the end of the film, the plot of "Moulin Rouge" has gotten more out of hand than its visuals. The love triangle gets out of hand with nonsensical character motivations and the characters acting dumb. Christian and Satine plan to run off together because the Duke will not allow them to be together, but once she discovers she's dying they can't run off together for some reason. Before that happens, a background character with no reason to not want Christian and Satine together reveals their relationship to the Duke and torments Christian over the fact that Satine has to be with the Duke. By the end, the characters are out of this world, acting stupid, insane, or having sudden random motivations that make no sense.
"Moulin Rouge" is an assault on your eyes and ears, bombarding you with non-stop visuals and loud noises with very few quiet breaks in between to let what you've just watched sink in. The term 'style over substance' was invented for this movie.