Fun, but not quality: Study the original first.

Rating: Null/10 (3 January 2005)

The wit and charm that is added to the movie in this remake can only be appreciated if you study the original first. I thought the movie was very fun, funny, enjoyable because of the fact that I had studied the original first. The means by which the movie is modernized is hilarious, yet it did go back to a serious tone by the end, thank God. Shakespeare did intend for the first half of the play to be comic and the second half to be tragic, so the fact that Baz Luhrman went a little silly (but only in the first half) I think worked.
As far as quality goes, it was not very high quality Shakespeare, just fun. I recommend the 1968 version for higher quality Shakespeare and a more true experience (even though that one cut lots of lines too).
DO NOT use Romeo + Juliet to introduce you to Shakespeare or to Romeo and Juliet because it won't be successful. But if you know Romeo and Juliet well, this movie can be a blast.