Baz Luhrmann is a Genius

Rating: 9/10 (1 January 2006)

Baz Luhrmann's superb version of Romeo and Juliet met and surpassed my expectations. When I heard that it would have Leonardo DiCaprio in it I imagined he wouldn't make the cut but he seems surprisingly natural when showing Romeo's emotions in Shakespearian dialogue. The fact that they cast Harold Perrineau (Michael from LOST) as a cross-dressing Mercutio would seem ridiculous but it somehow works well. However, I do feel that Tybalt needed to show more of an understanding of his words and that Romeo's parents were under-used. The pure 90's songs took me back to when I was still in primary school and made me smile as "You and Me Always" comes on when Romeo is coming to arrange his marriage. The ending (which I must note changed slightly as Romeo normally dies a while before Juliet wakes up) still makes me cry and want Romeo to see Juliet stirring, and Juliet's sorrow as Romeo dies in her arms is beautifully played by Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio. The fact that they kept in the original text and thus changed the actual swords to gun makes of 'Sword' 'Dagger' and 'Blade' was an excellent transition from Shakespeare's times. The majority of the actors seem comfortable in speaking Elizabethan English and you get a feeling of a new kind of slang to be used by gangs in the lines. All in all, one of my "top ten movies you must see before you die".