Review of Romeo + Juliet (1996) by Spangle — 22 Dec 2014
Ultimately, Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet is a mixed bag. On the positive, the second half is great and just as effecting as it should and needs to be. While I obviously know what happens, this story never fails to touch my heart in some ways and move me in others and Baz Luhrmann's interpretation keeps this alive and does well communicating it.
For this, I cannot hate this film. However, there are some negatives. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes are not awesome. They are not bad, to be sure, but there are some moments that made me cringe. On top of that, the first half is comically bad.
I could not help but laugh throughout as the modern interpretation of this one was beyond terrible in this portion. It improves in the second half, but damn is the first half embarassingly stupid and over the top.
As a whole, Romeo + Juliet is not a bad film, but it is certainly not a good film. It is an interesting update to the classic tale, but has too many negatives to become anything more than that.
This review of Romeo + Juliet (1996) was written by Spangle on 22 Dec 2014.
Romeo + Juliet has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
