A Great Movie Downgraded By Its Focus On Spectacle Rather Than The Story

Rating: 7/10 (25 November 2014)

I didn't (and still haven't) read F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, which many consider to be the epitome of the great American novel. However, I have seen some of director Baz Luhrmann's work, being Romeo + Juliet, which I thought was absolutely atrocious and a failure at what it was trying to accomplish. Luckily, walking out of the theater I was not displeased or annoyed, but I felt like I had just watched what could have been one of the best movies of the year...had a few things been changed.
First off, I got to mention Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby. I know it is a clichÃ© to say that DiCaprio nailed it in a movie, but I felt like he really took over the role of Gatsby and breathed life into it. Every time he's on screen, he completely holds your attention. I'm not sure how his performance matches with the character from the book, but as far as I'm concerned, he killed it as Gatsby. I also have to give credit to Joel Edgerton as the antagonist Tom Buchanan. You absolutely hate his character and root for Gatsby to win in the end.
There's also a really great script here. The dialog is fast-paced and well written, and the way the story goes and comes together is definitely well done. And it had characters that I was invested in. I was interested in seeing where Gatsby came from and how the main character (played by Tobey Maguire) dealt with being around all this madness. It also ends really sad too, and it definitely felt effective in many ways.
Sounds like a pretty fantastic movie, right? Well, a lot of these things I enjoyed about the movie are often masked by the focus on the visual aspects. This movie has great visuals, sure. The costumes are excellent, the cinematography is gorgeous, and the visuals, when needed, look great. But they completely take over and feel so bombarded in your face that it took me out of the movie at multiple times. This felt very loud, in sound and style, and the modern rap songs played when the film is set in the 20's felt completely out of place. It feels like Luhrmann was trying too hard to make this modern and a spectacle, and in the process forgot to focus on the already fantastic script and actors in order to drive the movie.
However, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy The Great Gatsby. It was fun, well-acted, and had a great story and dialog. Even though I complained about the visuals being loud and distracting, they're still fun to look at and look spectacular. So while it may not be a perfect film, The Great Gatsby is one that I would recommend checking out, even if you're not a fan of Luhrmann's previous work.