Monday, August 26, 2013

The Great Gatsby (2013)

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Writers:  Baz Luhrmann, Craig Pearce, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Cast:      Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton

Set in the roaring twenties, the film recounts the life of the millionaire Jay Gatsby through his neighbor Nick.

The film is shot in a visual style that one should expect from a Luhrmann film but it suits the story of this film which also depicts the excesses of the 1920s America. That said some of the camera shots are nauseating and is just there to justify the 3-D fad. I haven't read the book and I didn't feel the supposed greatness of the book through this film and so I guess the adaptation didn't do justice to it. Amid all the visual flair, didn't feel the actors apart form Edgerton were up to the mark in translating the characters onto the screen but some of it might be due to the script. The 'Old Sport' usage didn't seem natural to Gatsby but maybe that is intentional to show his poor background. The story is kind of melodramatic and it might have been better for them to concentrate more on the characters especially the narrator. Many people criticized the anachronistic music usage but I didn't have a problem with it. All in all it is a good watch but nothing more.

Rating: 3/5

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