Beautiful!

Rating: 7/10 (12 August 2013)

I do not find it hard to be objective while reviewing this movie because of the original Redford/Farrow movie. Since I am not a fan of the original (I find it quite long and frankly extremely boring) I can see the remake as a completely new vision, be absolutely frank and dazzled by what is shown here (unlike my mother who still finds the original better).
The acting. I dislike beginning with the negative aspects but since the acting is the only bad thing about this movie I have to point it out at the start. DiCaprio did not live up to the expectations. When I heard he would be playing Gatsby I was thrilled. I thought: "Finally, a role that will suit him perfectly." I was wrong. His acting is wooden, emotionless, at points a bit over-the-top, and at the point where he needed to explode, he does it more uncontrollably than necessary. His face shows no pain (something essential to this role), some of his moves are artificial and just not believable, and the "Old sport" is a little overused. Unfortunately, there is no other actor today that could be capable of being Jay Gatsby. So, we find ourselves at a crossroad: accept DiCaprio as badly/solidly acted Gatsby and move on, or simply thrash the movie because of his acting. I sided with the first option. Carey Mulligan is the other rotten apple. She is simply nonexistent on the screen, her acting is unremarkable, nothing she did is memorable or worth any compliment whatsoever. She is just a big blank on the screen that exists just because her character exists on the screen. Now, a question poses itself: how can a movie who's two lead actors who did not do their job be any good or even worth mentioning? Well, here comes Joel Edgerton. His acting is something I would never have expected. If Hollywood has a future, he is it. Every segment of his acting is marvelous and remarkable. His voice, his movements, his temper, his very being is absolutely Oscar worthy. If he does not receive an Oscar nomination, it would be a horrendous mistake! Edgarton stole the movie. Maguire was surprisingly good. He was exactly the character he needed to be, afraid, not knowing what hit him and why, where he is and barely understanding what is going on. But the landmark sentence he says to Gatsby is done just as it was supposed to. Another remarkable role is the one of Jason Clarke. Not a lot of screen time, but still, a great physical and vocal transformation and the emotions he shows are so powerful one just must share with him.
The visual aspect. What makes this movie so spectacular is the visual power and fullness of the screen. Every shot is filled with color, so much details and aspects one just can't fully catch all of them at first viewing. But the feeling and experience is remarkable. Luhrmann at his best. Also, the movie's shots are extremely fast. One could almost say hysteric. That also contributes to the general feeling and effect of the movie.
The music. At first I thought, how is it possible that hip-hop played in the 1920s. Than I started listening to the music itself and realized that not only does it fit the shots themselves perfectly, it actually increased the total atmosphere of the movie.
The story. Not much to say here. Almost a complete copy of the book with a few added scenes (perfectly fitted). But, the duration of the movie is a mystery to me. 143 min? The central part of the movie is a bit too long and could have been a bit shorter, dare I say, faster paced.
All in all, if you can disregard DiCaprio and Mulligan and just focus on the visual aspects, the music and Edgarton's superb acting, you will really enjoy this movie. It is fast paced (with the exception of the central part), visually beautiful, superbly directed, but lacking emotions and a real Redford-like Jay Gatsby.