The Great Gatsby Review

I know I'm a bit late to the party but I finally saw Baz Lurhmann's 'The Great Gatsby.' It being one of my all time favourite books, I was more than excited to see this new take on the classic book. At the same time I approached the film with trepidation as with so many book adaptions the films can not always live up to their inspiration. However I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the film. I felt that Lurhmann really captured the grandiose scale that Gatsby so deserves. The whole feel of the film was what I imagine the 1920's in New York and the lives of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda, were actually like. Over the top, flamboyant and tantalisingly fun. From the first frame I was captured! Not only was the atmosphere perfectly correct, the costumes were stunning (God do I wish I could dress like that on a daily basis) and the acting superb. I've never really been a fan of Leonardo Dicaprio, but I felt his performance as Jay Gatsby was well rounded and real. So many of the Gatsby films I've seen paint Gatsby as such a flat character, partly due to the fact that he himself is a figment of his own imagination but due to this I never found the character very likeable in any film adaptation. Dicaprio however brought Gatsby to life in all his nuances and flaws and I have to say I was quite impressed. Overall I feel that this is one of the better adaptations, however one thing that really annoyed me was the current music mixed with a 20's feel. For me the modern music ruptured the landscape that Lurhmann had so painstakingly put together and it tarnished an all together great and highly entertaining film. For me I give this film a 6.5/10. Well, any thoughts on the film? Let me know in the comments below.

#film #review #greatgatsby