An adaptation so vastly different to the book that I think it has the right to exist.

Rating: 7/10 (17 February 2020)

It's Baz through and through, it's wild and zippy and kooky and incredibly entertaining and creative even when it's completely and unnecessarily OTT.
In 3D the film really comes alive, it's been designed expertly for it and at its best it fully draws you in, holds up throughout and is complex and considered. At worst it throws you amidst Baz's typical disorientating editing.
Like many adaptations of classics, it will always fail to represent the elements and moments of the books that I personally connected to. But it makes many other moments crackle and shine and take on new life. And while the casting is all wrong, DiCaprio as Gatsby is elegant and perfect.
The framing device is clever and the fall of Carraway's character is well realised. Baz's way of bringing the roaring 20's to life with crisp high def visuals and modern music creates a unique and extremely enticing flick. The background fidelity and VFX are among the best I've ever seen and almost feel like a graphic novel. Somebody give this man a good comic property to adapt.
The photography, design, choreography and sheer bravado and sureness is a thing of wonder and while it can't save it from being a tonal mess and a relentless study in following weird editing and in excess and bizzare adaptation. But every frame pops in scintillating detail and creative wit.