The good and the bad of Romeo + Juliet

Rating: 8/10 (26 August 2004)

Romeo + Juliet (1996) Directed by Baz Luhrmann. With Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes
THE PLOT: Two teenagers from feuding families instantly fall madly in love with each other.
THE GOOD: Just like Baz Luhrmann's more recent effort Moulin Rouge!, this is another movie you either love or hate. I really enjoyed this version of William Shakespeare's famous play. I thought the acting was very good considering the script is in fact Shakespeare. Not all people will think this, but I thought the modern day, original script combination was brilliant. A lot of good cinematography, particularly in the last couple of scenes.
THE BAD: I didn't really enjoy the typical Luhrmann direction in the first half hour of the film, it just didn't seem to fit well with the piece. Like I said before, some people won't like the idea of putting the original Shakespeare script in the present time period. A lot of people are particular about the acting in Shakespeare movies, so it's really up to you to decide whether the acting is good or bad.
MY RATING: 7.5/10