A rare treasure that captures the power, heartbreak and pain of its source

Rating: 9/10 (28 May 2013)

Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby is the 5th time this great American novel about how greed and excess corrupt and destroy us has been adapted to the screen. However, unlike the 74 version I truly left the theater like I did after reading the novel disturbed and haunted by the characters', their actions and moral values set against this "time of wealth and happiness."
The acting in this film is surprisingly great... Dicaprio is amazing as Gatsby and really in my opinion shows Gatsby as being who he is, he's rich yet he's also self-conscious about how he acts and talks to keep up his illusion of grandeur(Many will say Dicaprio is confused, but I feel this was essential especially even when he's taking to Nick or when he waits out in the rain for Daisy and even tries to leave prior to her arrival to capture Gatsby's character: He's empty, confused and desperate to live the life he craves where he is someone, he has love and bliss and is able to live the "American dream" that everyone else claims they're currently living in this time with all the parties, technologies and so on. He truly deserves Oscar consideration as does Joel Edgerton who simply BLEW ME AWAY as Tom Buchanan and truly captured Tom's bigotry, contempt and power as he shatters Gatsby's dreams at the Plaza by revealing how he's associated with gamblers, he's a bootlegger and a liar about his past. The scene at the Plaza hotel leading to the shouting match over Daisy was heartbreaking and great with the ice-pick serving as tension-building and Dicaprio flipping at Tom who's shattered his illusion of grandeur and respect as he begins after losing his cool to stammer and falter breaking Daisy who's unable to say at this point she never loved Tom.
Carey Mulligan who I had doubts in actually really played Daisy spectacularly as she played her not like Mia Farrow as a ditzy and over-the top, but gave her a level of subtlety, nerve especially when she talks back to Tom which was not as seen in the book, but was great to show Daisy not as a total ditz... and will that gives her character a level of vulnerability and strength that makes her love for Gatsby more believable cause she does love him too(aka the scene where she rips her wedding dress when she finds Gatsby is till alive). She was excellent t showing how Daisy craved Gatsby, but was unable to bring herself to make that fateful leap to him and his idealism, instead falling back to money and security, rather than love and freedom to be her own boss.
Tobey is OK as Nick and he does seem believable in some scenes, and not in others. The music and the beginning was a bit odd, but the music really worked in the last hr and a half which were exceptionally filmed and really highlighted the chief symbols of the green light(hope, desire and Tj Eckleburg(God looking down at the moral decay of society.) The people who played the Wilsons were good, and weren't hurt by lack of screen time and the one who played Jordan was also quite good in the role. The novel in itself a criticism of America as its growing and evolving, yet at the same time losing its human and moral values as they slip into racism, bigotry, ignorance and individualism which is eerily similar to America today. The scene where Gatsby and Nick are talking about the past in my opinion was the greatest point in the film, and in my view get Leo the Oscar he deserves. Gatsby is like Jack from Titanic, he dreams of a life where he can get the love and fullness he craves, yet their destroyed by tragedy and classism of rich and East Egg looking down on the poor or old money. We all want to try and keep things as they were, but we can't as people and lives change and must move on to prevent us from suffering inside and outside which sadly Gatsby can't do and the real tragedy is he's the most honest, hopeful and real "American" who wants to change himself to achieve his dreams which instead lead to his destruction.