A review of Baz Luhrumann's Romeo and Juliet

Rating: Null/10 (12 November 2003)

Shakespeare gets a Hollywood make over in Baz Luhrmann's high-octane remake of Romeo and Juliet.
The Australian director manages to combine an exciting mix of original Shakespearean dialect and Hollywood action, which together delivers a brilliant new concept to film making.
The casting of Leonardo Di Caprio as Romeo and Claire Danes as Juliet are inspired choices, as they both give the best performance of their fledgling careers.
Although this is a story which has been told many times before, Luhrmann keeps the idea fresh, mainly by using a lovely mixture of fast editing and beautifully choreographed fight scenes, which wouldn't look out of place in a John Woo action film. It also combines a fantastic soundtrack with a stunning backdrop of 'Verona Beach'.
Right from the explosive beginning to the tragic ending, Romeo and Juliet will keep you captivated. This is a testament to Luhrmann's brilliant snappy direction, which will take you on a rollercoaster ride of car chases, gun fights and a love that was destined to fail.
Luhrmann's ablity to keep the audience wanting more is no more apparent than the ending. You would have to have been living under a rock, for the last 100 years to not know how Romeo and Juliet ends. But Luhrmann manages to keep the audience hoping that this time it will be different.
Would Will Shakespeare be happy with this adaptation of his work? We'll never know, although any fans of Shakespeare should leave the cinema pleased with this mordernised version.