The Great Gatsby (2013) Movie Review

The muchly anticipated Sydney-filmed blockbuster has finally been released, and the verdict is in. Did it live up to all the hype?

Well, not exactly if you’re not a Baz Luhrmann fan since the entire film has his name written all over.

I’ve never read the classic 1925 novel of the same name but I now see why Luhrmann chose to take on such a project with many elements seen in his films Romeo + Juliet (1996), Strictly Ballroom (1992) and Moulin Rouge (2001) with the typical elements of corruption, tragic love and the usual writer persona guiding the story.

Such elements are presented in a visually appealing and intoxicating (I mean that literally) world with a complete set of flawed characters.  At the heart of the movie there is a deep message on resurfacing the past whilst also managing to provide a cruel and realistic take on the American Dream and materialism.

The movie also comes along with one of the best soundtracks of the year hands down, which oozes as a backdrop within many scenes of the film. It also provides something unique in that classical music is blended with a modern touch, it’s something refreshing rather than going for the typical 20’s decade style. As for the cast, of course Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio are perfect in their roles with the rest of the cast also superbly cast.

The only fault of the film is it’s over reliance on all things flashy with the flow of the film sometimes becoming a bit convoluted and diverging the essence of the story. If you’re not familiar with Baz you may have a difficult time getting the whole thing, if you’re a Baz fan and looking for him to enter new territory you’re in for a letdown. But if you want more of Luhrmann’s familiar work, The Great Gatsby is right up your alley.

So if it sounds like your sort of thing you might as well go see it “Old Sport”.

 3.8/5

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Shahbaz Malik

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