Baz Lurhmann's "The Great Gatsby" is a visually appealing, faithful adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Jazz-era novel. It features Leonardo DiCaprio as the title character and his performance is good. Carey Mulligan plays Daisy Buchanan in a role that leaves much to be desired. It is not a very complex or demanding role and Mulligan does little to bring the character to life. Tobey Maguire plays Nick Carraway, the story's narrator and main protagonist. His Carraway is not as an appealing character as Gatsby and Maguire is not charismatic enough in the lead to carry the picture.
I saw the film in 3D and the effects are somewhat wasted because it is not a story that requires the use of the 3D effect. There are some cool scenes where the 3D immerses you in the story more and creates an eye-popping landscape when used effectively but other than a few scenes, the effects are not necessary.
I also didn't like the use of modern hip-hop music in a movie taking place in the 1920's. Luhrmann's choice of using this modern music takes away from the verisimilitude of the film and like the 3D effects, is off-putting and distracting.
This is a pretty boring movie to sit through. Even though I read and enjoyed Fitzgerald's novel, I felt that the inconsistent performances and lack of restraint on the part of the director Luhrmann took away from the overall enjoyment of the movie. His attempt to boost the adrenaline of a somewhat slow-moving story is unsuccessful. What you are left with is a boring, over-the-top, inconsistent and disappointing spectacle.
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