It doesn't always work but it's a beautiful and interesting take on the play

Rating: 7/10 (24 September 2011)

Romeo and Juliet set in a modern day urban environment with modern updates to all of the events but still with the original dialogue. OK then. Believe it or not, despite missteps, this adaptation mostly works and will finally interest teenagers in Shakespeare which certainly isn't a bad thing. It's better than Gnomeo and Juliet Thankfully! Baz Luhrmann makes the film visually stunning, and manages to fill it with gripping action scenes and touching romantic moments. A mixture of a music video, teen romance, gritty urban drama and Shakespeare, this will be a bit jarring to many (Myself included) but the ambition of the movie is to be admired. Claire Danes is OK but a bit annoying, while Leonardo DiCaprio owns the movie. The cinematography is stunning, and the film never stops being lovely to look at.
It's not perfect though. Elements of the play such as the scene where Lord Capulet is angry with Juliet and Romeo and Mecrutio's friendship are poorly handled, and the endless visual dazzle, beautiful as it is, can send the film into style over substance territory. The presentation of Romeo and Juliet and other things in the play is beautifully updated for modern audiences and while the repeated action scenes can leave drama in the sidelines, the tragic ending still has a lot of emotional punch. It's not the best Shakespeare movie of all time, but I can't dislike an urban drama which still channels Shakespeare so effectively.
7/10