Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Review: The Great Gatsby



Release Date:  May 10, 2013
Running Time: 143 minutes
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton
Who to see it with: Someone who liked Moulin Rouge or Bioshock Infinite (at least the time period and setting of the game).

David: 

The Great Gatsby is an American classic; a book that nearly every high school student reads.  I imagine that I'm like most of you: I read it years ago and haven't looked at it since.  But, I love Baz Luhrmann's work and expected to enjoy his latest film.  And wow, his style is instantly apparent from the moment the movie begins.  The Great Gatsby is the perfect canvas to allow Luhrmann to work his magic.  The colors, the angles, the lighting, the music--everything about
this movie is meant to convey the energy that is in all of Luhrmann's films.  You feel like every scene, every line in this movie is meant to give the viewer something; nothing about the movie has been wasted.  And Luhrmann's style perfectly conveys the splendor and drama of the Gatsby novel.  The film's highs are over the top and the lows will cause the viewer to come crashing down along with the characters.  Although I haven't read the book in years, it feels like Luhrmann sought to remain true to the novel while adding some of the glitz that we saw in Moulin Rouge.  The events of the movie appear to faithfully track the book.  Luhrmann even uses a typewriter motif to read and display pieces of the novel on the screen.  Does the movie have some flaws?  Sure, it's a little long (but I imagine that that is due to the length of the book), the 3D is spotty at times, and I wish there was more music towards the end.  But if seeing a stylized re-imagining of an American classic appeals to you,

See it.

3D Note - The 3D added nice depth in some scenes (particularly at the beginning) but there were many times when objects in the background appeared out of focus or ghosted.  I would recommend saving your money and seeing it in 2D. 

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