THE GREAT GATSBY (2013)

Cole's Rating: ★★★ ½
Jesse's Rating: ★★ ½

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Year: 2013
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Carey Mulligan
Genre: Drama/Romance
MPAA Rating: PG-13

        Having read the several warnings of The Great Gatsby (2013), and its terrible display of the classical novel from the critics, I was a little shaky with the impression I was given upon entering the theater. But then, I had never witnessed another telling of the story, so I assumed that I might like it a little bit more than the critics. Well, I was quite mistaken. I love this film to death. It clocks in as an almost flawless, fine piece of work brought to you by no other than the visionary Baz Luhrmann.

        Epic storytelling is rare, and even more so within cinema, because it can be more difficult to illustrate a story without using the power of words to elucidate its tellings, morals, and major events. The Great Gatsby (2013) does all of that exceptionally well . The story is fleshed out among many characters, and there is never a time in the film when I felt un-absorbed, or uninvolved. It captures its time and place exceptionally well, and each scene is filled to the brim with marveling visual wonder. Something exuberant about the film, too, is how mystifying the plot could be. I was so interested an so engaged that there would be no machine in the whole world that could pry my eyes off of the screen.

         The story is magnificently told. It’s utterly incredible, and is told with such wisdom that I felt moved as an audience member. Touched, I’d say, by Gatsby’s pure ingenuity as a man who just loves a woman for who she is (and DiCaprio’s excellent portrayal). All of each character’s internal conflicts build up to a fascinating, and upsetting conclusion. One may feel at times like they want to get there sooner, though, because the first twenty-thirty minutes might cause a headache (with the noise and rapid cutting). 

        The best thing—or one of the best things—about The Great Gatsby is how interpretive it is, as far as character motivation goes. But it’s not that it’s poorly done; no, it’s quite the opposite. It’s delicately crafted by the narrator’s word usage, and that of the other characters’ in the film. If I had to put a name to it, I’d say it’s ambitious and ingenious. 

        49% on Rotten Tomatoes? Give me a break, this film is a masterpiece. If it isn't the greatest this year, I'll be shocked (though you can never underestimate Scorsese, who is making a film to come out later this year). I just can’t speak for those who have read the novel, because with my experience as a reader-and-viewer, the movie doesn't quite match up. What I can say is this: I might never read the book, so that I can entirely cherish the movie, without having witnessed its predecessors. 

-Written by Cole Pollyea

Jesse's Thoughts: Baz Luhrmann is a one of a kind director. He doesn't seem to emulate any style. In fact, he has a style all his own. He's the perfect choice to direct a movie that takes place in the roaring twenties. In The Great Gatsby, he fills the screen with so much and it's difficult to take in everything with one viewing. This film is perfectly cast, it's shot with total command of the camera, and the attention to detail in every scene is impeccable. The story however, didn't quite hold my interest. It didn't feel like there was enough of it to inhabit a 2 hr. 20 minute vehicle. I unknowingly found myself staring more at the visual wonderment instead. Now like my nephew,  I've never read the book that it's based on. In essence, I'm committed to evaluating The Great Gatsby as a feature length film. It's not a bad one. It's not a great one. So I guess it's somewhere in between the two.