i shouldn't have wasted my time...

Rating: 1/10 (30 May 2005)

This film was SUPPOSED to be a modern adaptation of the classic Shakespeare masterpiece, Romeo and Juliet. What I got instead was an utter and complete waste of my time. No, I am not some British Shakespeare fanatic who disregards any modern adaptation of this play as pure garbage-- I am an American teenager who was just hoping to see a good movie. First of all, the opening sonnet which so famously begins with "Two households, both alike in dignity...etc." is given to us by some nobody news anchor in a television. It isn't even said by the prince, who traditionally gives the speech. Anyone who says that the dialogue is the same as in the play is clearly mistaken. There are screwed up lines all over the place, different characters give different lines which result in major plot holes. The opening scene couldn't even be understood because of an absurd amount of gunshooting and screaming. I couldn't even understand what was going on, despite the fact that I had just gotten through re-reading that scene from the play. They cut huge amounts of the play out of the movie which were important to set up following scenes. The balcony scene SUCKED. It shouldn't even be called the balcony scene, you know why??? Miss Juliet was not on the balcony...at all! We are expected to believe that our little Romeo (poorly played by Leonardo Dicaprio) is standing five feet behind her and she doesn't notice him. It's complete absurdity that draws any seriousness out of the film. The whole suicide scene was also a bunch of rubbish. Before Romeo has even died, he sees that his love has awaken and he gets to give her his final goodbye and realize the mistake he made. For all of you history buffs out there--that is NOT supposed to happen. And then we find ourselves at the end, at the edge of our seats just DYING for it to be all over. During the last scene the Prince, (who is supposed to read the closing sonnet) screams at the top of his lungs, "all shall be punished! all shall be punished!" can you say plot hole? five minutes later in the closing sonnet (read by the annoying news anchor woman) we hear "some will be pardoned, and others punished." it basically says that some wont be royally screwed like some other characters. but that line totally contradicts what the prince had said five minutes before. especially considering he was supposed to be the one saying it! i guess what I'm saying is that this movie is TERRIBLE, even if it wasn't an adaptation, it was really just....stupid. and i pity anyone who has to bear watching the entire thing straight through.