Looks and sounds great with a boring story

Rating: 5/10 (5 June 2013)

Baz Luhrmann's films each have a distinct visual and aural quality to them. We are witness to vibrant colours, sweeping camera movements, sudden zooming in, and mystery which is supporting by a suitable soundtrack. These features translate well into the 1920's setting to transport the viewer into a bygone era. However despite all these positives even they cannot make a really long, slow and dull story any more watchable.
You may argue with me that I don't understand the story. I admit I haven't read the book and went into this completely unaware of what will occur; from what I've read this film is the closest to translate the book into a film correctly. That being said my impression of the metaphors and underlying meanings is a satire of the 1920's; i.e. too much drinking and partying, people talk rubbish, the wealthy have more money than sense, you can't recapture the past, parties are a ruse, and not a lot of meaningful activities occurred (this is what I left the cinema thinking about). That being said I didn't enjoy the story or the characters and was never convinced really liked, cared for or loved each other (which I understood as an intention of the author). Therefore if I understand the story correct then this is one of the most overrated stories (and novels) I've ever encountered. Why is it so memorable?
Praise must be given to the use of modern music instead of jazz as it is a clever juxtaposition. Most of us don't enjoy jazz music like those in the film do; we enjoy modern music mostly and its use bridges the gap between us. Therefore we understand how they feel and the parties which ensue. All actors involved were convincing in their roles but no-one here stood out. One thing I did notice was Nick Carraway mentioned several times that Gatsby was the most hopeful person he'd met. We never really saw his hope because he was both cool and calm, scared, worried or lashing out. This is either a failure of the script or a translation of the author's intentions.
I applaud those involved for at least making this film watchable for the visual and aural aspects. This almost makes up for a long, slow and dull story.