A Spoiler-Free Review

Rating: 6/10 (16 December 2013)

You know, I've never been the biggest fan of both F. Scott Fitzgerald and director Baz Luhrman, so when Luhrman announced he was adapting Fitzgerald's classic, The Great Gatsby for the big-screen, I had very low expectations, and in those regards I was surprised by the film, but it still does not make me a fan of Luhrman or Fitzgerald. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the titular Gatsby, and he's charming and does his usual Leonardo DiCaprio thing here, but it's a fairly safe performance by an actor who is capable of far more reaching material, however, part of the reasoning for that is that this film never really takes flight. This is an emotionally cold story, and it's hard to relate to rich people lavishing in their own extravagance when very few people are actually that wealthy. Not to mention the fact that all of the melodrama comes across as trite and soap opera-like in our more modern time where we've seen just about every genre clichÃ© this films features hundreds of times before. Even still, this is a visually sumptuous film that is vibrant and energetic in its style, with some solid performances from the cast. It's just one of those films that if you aren't already a fan of the book or the director's previous works, you will find very little to latch onto here and enjoy.
I give The Great Gatsby a 6 out of 10!