Visually bold and very 1990s take on R&J

Rating: 8/10 (13 March 2013)

I'll admit it: the first time I saw this film in high school I despised it. I found it so ridiculous, so over-the-top that I could barely believe that anyone could take it seriously. I wondered how anyone could think this film was even close to touching the greatness of the 1968 Romeo and Juliet, which is one of the most beautiful films ever made. I'm in college now, and for my Shakespeare on Film class, I had to watch this again. And this time I found myself enjoying it! Not that I still don't have issues with it, but it's much more striking and moving than I remember.
The film's style is very over-the-top. Scenes such as the Capulet and Montague boys at the gas station or Lady Capulet conversing with Juliet about checking out Paris at the ball are played to almost cartoonish extremes. Every image on screen pops with color. The first time I saw the film I found it all garish and much too 1990s, but now I find there's a strange beauty to it. It's as far from the lush Italian setting of the 1968 film as you could get, but it's cool in its own way and there's a ton of motifs, such as the constant use of religious images which contrast with the violent acts committed by the characters. The music is pretty good too, especially "Kissing You".
The acting is mostly competent. Claire Danes makes a radiant Juliet, girlish and passionate. Other highlights are Harold Perrineau as Mercutio (the scene where he's performing in drag kills me every time) and Pete Postelthwaite as Friar Laurence. The only actor I had any problem with was our Romeo. Leonardo DiCaprio is handsome and passionate, but the way he delivers a lot of his lines bothers me. His delivery doesn't do the words justice at all.
I still think the 1968 version is the superior film, but I'm glad I saw this again. It's a beautiful film, if only a little-- okay, very over-the-top. But still, it's worth checking out.