An absorbing, delightful, tragic and reverent adaptation of a seemingly unfilmable story.

Rating: 9/10 (7 June 2013)

Watching The Great Gatsby was a pleasant surprise for me. It's the best film I've seen so far this year, and it's easily the best adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's celebrated novel. The first two things that stand out in the film are the masterful art direction and set design. There are gorgeous costumes galore but even the backgrounds are detailed and beautifully shot. Director Baz Luhrmann mentioned that he wanted the period to look fresh even by today's standards. The 1920s was certainly a booming period, but in the film it's so lush and vibrant that it's as though we're looking at another world. This is a good thing though. It's one of the film's strengths. Western Civilization was still expanding at that time. I recommend that people read historian Carroll Quigley's great books. Leonardo DiCaprio delivers an excellent performance as the mysterious, charismatic and handsome Jay Gatsby. Though Gatsby is a tragic character DiCaprio exudes his pure enduring hope perfectly. In this film DiCaprio just is Gatsby. But in addition to DiCaprio's central performance we have commitment from every other actor too. Joel Edgerton is particularly effective as Daisy's brute husband Tom Buchanan. Carey Mulligan, who burst into tears when she got the part, was an interesting though good choice for the role of Daisy Buchanan. In yet another good role Tobey Maguire is perfect at playing Nick Carraway. But there's also the captivating performance from Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker. The soundtrack features the talents of Jay-Z, Beyonce, Lana del Rey, Florence + the Machine, Bryan Ferry, Jack White and Gotye. The choice of these performers may seem odd but their music works well in the context of the film. Some of the biggest names in today's music industry were contributors, but I would even say that the choice of music was sometimes inspired. The film is simply beautiful as well as entertaining. Luhrmann and Catherine Martin have to be praised. What I liked most about it, however, was it's chain of impressive scenes. In my opinion the film's pacing is similar to Apocalypse Now (1979) and Come And See (1985). That is, almost every scene is an infectious episode that can be seen again and again. This again shows that Luhrmann is a great director. No doubt about it, The Great Gatsby is must-see cinema. Even if you didn't like Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Australia (2008) you should see this film. I highly recommend it.