Hip and intense modernization

Rating: 8/10 (21 October 2006)

I hadn't heard all of this story before watching this film, so please forgive me any misunderstandings that may come as a result of that ignorance. When I heard that this was done by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce, who later went on to create Moulin Rouge together, which is one of my favorite love stories(granted, at the time I first saw it, that was a pretty short list) of all time, as well as just about the only true musical that I've found myself enjoying, naturally I was going to watch it. Plus, it's difficult to challenge the quality of William Shakespeare's writings, and this is said to be one of his best works. The idea is magnificent; take the original story and retell it in modern day suburbia, with the original dialog(though, obviously, unfortunately, not all the dialog could be retained; I was disappointed to find that the brief exchange regarding "how deep was the cut" was not in the film). The result works out very well, by changing the setting to one that today's youth can easier relate to, whilst still making the points that the original play did. The plot is very good, and evolves nicely throughout. The pace is *intense*. This thing moves non-stop. Blink and you'll miss something. At times, this speed was almost overwhelming. The running time is two (exactly!) hours, but it keeps you on the edge of your seat for almost all of it. The editing seems to bear traces of this... more often than not, it seems like the scene or certain cuts of it had been trimmed by a few seconds, to ensure the run-time length, and it can be a little confusing(for the quite few times it happens). I will say that Luhrmann kept the pace at an appropriate rate for the dramatic scenes. In fact, they may become even stronger, from the otherwise extreme pace. The line-delivery is fast, but exceptional. The acting is excellent. I can't name a single performance that I found even slightly flawed. The casting is marvelous, as well... the two leads and the supporting players are spot-on(heck, even Jamie Kennedy worked, here). The music is a good mix of hip, new music and a beautiful score. Production values are high. The cinematography causes a confusing moment or two, but it mostly simply serves to keep the intensity up. A well-done modernization of the famous play. I recommend this to any fan of the people involved in making it, and/or William Shakespeare. Do keep in mind that there are various creative decisions made, changing the original tale... including one regarding the famous ending. 8/10