Much Ado about Nothing

Rating: 8/10 (4 June 2013)

The things I admire in The Great Gatsby are the things I disliked at the same time. It is so obvious that the plot is so simple, and in no way is it in need of the extravagant production it is packed in. All it is is a simple love story, so I see no reason for there to be a $100 million budget with CGI up the ying-yang and one of the most outlandish costume designs in recent memory. At first, the film comes off as style-over-substance. But as more and more of the theme is revealed (which I never like to give away in my reviews) I can see the reason and a hidden agenda behind this production design, and I really started to enjoy it for what it built itself up to be- a social and human nature statement. Once this was developed, though it took far too long, I could really love the movie. The performances were great and the screenplay is top notch, but it was too far into the film before anything was established. The first hour or so is just useless set up that really took down on my rating for the film. Nevertheless, it is a film worth while for viewing, so I would recommend it.
GRADE: B+