Review of Moulin Rouge! (2001) by Rob . — 30 Dec 2011

After hearing several comments that this was a "love it or hate it" experience, and seeing the Nostalgia Critic's interesting review, I decided to check this film out. That and I hadn't seen a good musical or romantic film in a while, and I heard this film was revolutionary in both genres.

And I never thought I'd say this, but I loved this movie. Visually it's incredible, the way they recreate Paris is gorgeous and it's constant eye candy. Both Kidman and McGregor are surprisingly good here, and I'm shocked how well both of them can actually sing. In fact I enjoyed the redoing of some of the classic songs I could recognize (though nobody will ever top "Smells Like Teen Spirit") I even found myself caring for the love story aspect, though at some times it gets a little hard to believe. Writer/producer/director Baz Luhrmann proves he's a visionary artist and can show great imagery while keeping the audiences interested with the story. Unlike some director's I know (cough Zac Snyder cough).

Now I will admit some of the musical and dramatic moments get a bit too surreal and ultimately too silly. I also thought the villain played by Richard Roxburgh got a bit too hammy at times, but he provided a good laugh as well. Ultimately I do see why this is famous for reviving the movie musical, and I think it well deserves a place among the better film's in that genre for it's uniqueness and visual beauty. I came in expected to dislike it, but this was one of the better surprise rentals I've seen in the last few months.