Disappointing and unimpressive.

Rating: 4/10 (15 August 2013)

I had been waiting for this movie for a long time, for all its hype and the much talked about epoch making movie of the year.
'The Great Gatsby' starts off with Nick Carraway, (Tobey Maguire) narrating his events and experiences from his past life in New York. The movie starts at a dull pace, with long CGI shots and never ending party celebrations at the Gatsby mansion, which makes one's head go fuzzy. For the initial 30 minutes, the story builds up the suspense about the protagonist Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), with people talking about him in hushed voices and those never ending stories. After killing the boring half an hour, Gatsby finally makes it to the screen introducing himself to Carraway at one of his grand parties. The thrill that was built up, vanishes in less than a few moments as what was anticipated to be a dramatic thriller turns out into a dull melodrama of love and betrayal, with Gatsby desperately longing to tie the loose ends with his lost love. (Innocently hoping that things would be the same as they were 5 years back)
While watching this film, I always found myself at an arm's length, rather than being involved into the story. Halfway through the movie, I couldn't help but wait eagerly for its end; More out of boredom rather than curiosity. The characters aren't given enough screen time to make their appearance felt or develop themselves. The actors just pop in and out of the screen, making the first half looks chaotic.
Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway, with his stone faced acting, irritating accent and forced dialogues, couldn't have been worse in the supporting cast. This, along with the terrible background score serves as the last nails in the coffin for this high budget fiasco.
The best thing (the only good thing) about The Great Gatsby is Leonardo DiCaprio. The story builds up and deepens as we enter into the life of Jay Gatsby, which defines the depth of DiCaprio's role and brings out his skills and maturity as an amazing actor. With his charismatic acting skills and an outstanding personality as Jay Gatsby, Leo keeps one's interest alive in the otherwise boring and one dimensional film. Towards the end, you can't help but feel sorry towards Gatsby as he dies alone, taking all the blame for the crimes he never committed.
'The Great Gatsby' is visually stunning, but is otherwise average and disappointing. What could have been a slick, stylish and sexy thriller instead sinks your hopes and disappoints all the way till the end.