Fantastic adaptation

Rating: 9/10 (18 May 2013)

I absolutely loved this film. I studied the book in school a few years ago and loved it then, and Luhrmann really does it justice.
The cinematography is spectacular, as you'd expect if you've seen Moulin Rouge and Romeo and Juliet, and the first stages of the film really immerse you in the fantastical illusion that Gatbsy has conjured up through his parties and lavish lifestyle.
As the story moves on, the stellar cast comes into its own. DiCaprio is, unsurprisingly, immaculate, giving the perfect mix of optimistic hope and downright naivety and delusion. Each of the other main actors manages to generate just enough sympathy for his or her character that you remain torn between who the good and bad people are. Edgerton is a prime example; an unpleasant character for sure, but somehow Edgerton made him human enough for me to not despise him. Tobey Maguire is a revelation. I had my doubts about him going into this film, but he suits the role down to the ground, and actually manages to be pretty funny, acting as the source for most of the film's humour.
All in all, I think the film does a great job of portraying the central message of Fitzgerald's novel. There are no out and out villains, merely a host of "careless people, who smash things and people and then retreat into their money." And one man who dared to dream, one Gatsby.