Well... the Second and Third act was good.

Rating: 7/10 (11 May 2013)

Soon after I read the novel I knew it was among my favorites. The depth of a 200 page novel was quite impressive. The film does it best to capture this depth, but generally falls short.
However, that doesn't mean I didn't like the film, overall did, I felt the director generally was able to nail the atmosphere of the novel, and effectively integrate the symbols and motifs that are in the novel. Sometimes it was a little too much, with harsh camera movements and ridiculous color schemes, nevertheless, I think Luhrmann was the right for man for the film.
Now, the first Act. Very close to dreadful and made it seem the film was going to continue down this path and make this a very disappointing film. This has to be the most shocking and inappropriate use of music in a film to date. Understand that the bulk of your audience isn't going to be teenagers, rather middle-age and up. You are making a period piece and at many times it felt like a rap or dubstep music video. Not to mention they beat Lana Del Rey song Young and Beautiful into the ground. Which doesn't even make any sense, it didn't even reflect the action of the film in any way. The lyrics really have no coloration with the characters situation. Another major issue in the first act was the pacing. It was way to rushed, things happened in split seconds, if you hadn't read the novel it would have been difficult keeping things straight. Thus the first act had very little things going for it.
Now the second and third act were able to pretty much make up for first act. It was paced very well, the story finally became compelling, and no more majorly out of placed music. Aside from a few times Tobey Maguire Character came off dry, and the fact Jordan character was very insignificant, the final two acts were very good. DiCaprio's acting was quite impressive, wouldn't be in his top 5 performances or anything, but as always he gives a very great performance.
In conclusion, if you can get passed the first act, then any Gatsby fan should generally be satisfied with the film. It is a fairly faithful adaptation, and the visuals at times are very stunning. Thus I would hesitantly recommend the film, despite its glaring flaws, it still is a fairly solid film.
6.5/10