The Great Gatsby is another retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel of the same name. Now I've actually been looking forward to this movie since it was set to be released last Christmas. I am a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, I am a fan of Tobey Maguire, and I am a fan of the book so why shouldn't I be excited for this? For one reason only: Baz Luhrman.
I'm gonna get right to it: Baz Luhrman was not the right director for this. His style is very unique. He's kind of like an artsy Zach Snyder. He makes movies with lavish and flashy visuals and loud music. He also directed William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and I despise that film.
Now in some of Baz Luhrman's movies, his trademark lavish visuals work. Not in this case. The Great Gatsby is meant to focus more on the characters. it's a very character driven story and when I read the book, I was emotionally invested. I received none of that in this. During the parties at Gatsby's mansion, there was so much going on it was overwhelming for the majority of the time. It reminded me of the battle of Geonosis in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. There was so much happening that you weren't sure what to focus on. Don't get me wrong though, that battle sequence in Attack of the Clones was the best part of the film! The parties were entertaining, albeit a bit ridiculous. I was also on the fence about the soundtrack. I checked iTunes and I saw that the entire soundtrack was filled with music by Jay-Z and Lana Del Ray. I was perplexed by that. I thought that there would be jazz and music that fit the 1920's. After watching the movie, the songs actually fit the tone of the parties surprisingly well! I still would have liked some jazz though.
The actors were pretty solid in this film. DiCaprio played Gatsby and I knew before the trailer came out that Leo would be just fine as the title character. I was correct. I also had a feeling that Tobey Maguire would be great as Nick because the character Nick basically represents us. He's a fish out of water when it comes to the rich life and he worked really well. Joel Edgerton plays Tom Buchanan and he was perfect as Tom. Author John Green said that Tom Buchanan is perhaps the most detestable person in the history of literature. Joel Edgerton played the role perfectly. The only person I had a problem with was Carey Mulligan's character Daisy. I felt like she was trying to be Kristen Stewart, only she showed more emotion in this one film than K-Stew showed in all five Twilight films. A newer actress named Elizabeth Debicki plays Jordan Baker and I want to see her in more things. Not only was she good in the film, but she's so pretty. And that is all.
Final Report: Contrary to the title, Gatsby isn't "great".
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