The Great Gatsby Review
I was a bit late seeing this due to exam revision, and seeing the reviews I expected to be let down, fortunately I disagree with a lot of the reviews.
The Great Gatsby has unfortunately suffered at the hands of the hype machine, the buzz surrounding the film started this time last year, and a delay from Christmas 2012 to Spring 2013 didn't help matters. It seems that some critics may have overestimated how good Baz Luhrmann's films actually are, with most of them being nothing more than a shallow love story smothered in visual beauty and musical insanity. The Great Gatsby does nothing different, which is the thing that most reviewers seem upset about. While Luhrmann's signature might be style over substance, that Is not to say that he doesn't make great films, this being no exception. The plot is based on the famous American novel of the same name written by Scott Fitzgerald, and revolves around a series of rich investor's relationships and the mysterious J Gatsby. I felt that the plot actually excelled much more than some of the critics have suggested, it immersed me within the CGI 3-D laced world of 1920's New York perfectly. The mystery surrounding Gatsby himself was to me the most interesting aspect of the narrative, but by the second half all had been revealed, leaving nothing more than a tragic love story. While the plot may be something we've all seen before, it did manage to make me care about the characters, mainly Gatsby, which can't be said for some of his other films, most noticeably, Moulin Rouge.
Speaking of Moulin Rouge, the infamous party scenes sparked memories of the frantic opening scenes, and are beautifully executed. The roaring 20's is captured perfectly through these scenes, which both mesmerise and provoke thoughts about the time, a theme which the original book was based upon. The sheer excess of these party scenes is mind boggling, utilising as much glamour, alcohol and sex as Lurhmann could muster, with the results appearing similar to the recent Spring Breakers. The soundtrack fuelling the carnage is a mix of uptempo hip-hop, trap and pounding EDM that manages to capture the feel of the 20's, while at the same time creating a cross generational time leap and making the scenes feel like something out of Project X. On the other hand there are some amazing slow pieces on the soundtrack, such as the sublime Young and Beautiful, written and sung by Lana Del Rey, and a dark and foreboding version of Back to Black, featuring Beyonce and Andre 3000. These songs manage to further immerse you within the narrative, and provide a real sense of danger, tragedy and romance, all of which are heavily laced within the plot. For the first time since Life of Pi I felt that the 3D really worked in this film, instead of cheap 'pop-out' visual effects, Luhrmann creates many visual layers, making the world feel like a stage play or comic book, and again creating a brilliant sense of immersion.
While the narrative may lack depth, and the party scenes may provide too much excess for some viewers, this shouldn't detract from the fact that this is a very solid film. For some novel purists Luhrmann's vision may prove too distracting and contemporary, but in my opinion it creates a whole new take on the original story, one which is culturally relevant today. The use of music throughout the film gives a sense of modernity, and interweaves the film with today's world, providing interesting comments and ideas that are sure to be discussed within the coming months among critics. Overall a solid film, its well worth a watch if you're interested in either the 20's or Baz Luhrmann, however be warned that it may stray from the novel, proving a different take on the traditional story.
8/10
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