The Roaring Twenties old sport

Rating: 7/10 (14 May 2013)

Yes this movie wasn't really a surprise to me, more of a oh it's another Baz Lurman film. One that seems to take all the kinetic energy and throw it in your face with a cannon. It's a movie like Speed racer that is full of high octane energy and cg on over drive. What makes this movie so well done and so interesting is it's take on the source material. The Story is well known and has been read by more people than seem to live on this planet. If you don't know well it's the story of one mans obsession to get back the woman he left behind and still longs for and the effects on the world around both of them. Now I haven't read the book, luckily it wasn't a required reading for me but I can see why this book is so well revered. It takes a topic like long lost lovers and throws in the roaring 20's and all that jazz. It makes you realize that even though the world around us changes, we all yearn for that someone and cling onto that perfect on the outside high culture figure. Whether it be Justin Bieber or Elvis or the Beatles or Hugh Hefner or Great Gatsby, all were loved and all were adored or still adored. It's in this fashion that I think Gatsby works well enough, it takes people that we can idolize and turns them against one another in glorious fashion. Now this isn't a perfect film and is extremely long for what is only a 160 page novel. It drags in spots, so much so that I was checking my phone. Some of the characters are great Dicaprio and Edgerton some are not (I'm looking at you Maguire). It doesn't mean there not good, just all not well cooked in the oven. With that though and with any Baz Lurman film, your going to get razzle dazzle and this movie does it well. It's fun to watch the drunken debauchery on the parties Gatsby throws and even fun to see New York Before a hell broke loose with the stock market crash. I think it would be fun to spend a day in this era of time. In the end The Great Gatsby is fun but not perfect. It's a movie that I enjoyed but won't see again.