Review of The Great Gatsby (2013) by Thequietgamer — 21 Nov 2016

I feel like this movie is going to have the most value to those who have actually read the book. Not that those unfamiliar with F. Scott Fitzgerald's literary masterpiece can't enjoy themselves. It's just that part of the movie's appeal is seeing the story brought to life with visual exuberance.

It's a gorgeous film. One that's bright, dazzling, and teeming with life. While perhaps a bit to excessive for some, the visuals have a way of bringing the events to life and showing the full, excessive glory of Gatsby's parties. The soundtrack is just as exciting and flashy.

As far as the actual adaption goes, it's pretty faithful. A lot of the dialog is pulled right from the book and the plot does a great job of following the book's core plot elements. Naturally some minor deviations occur in the form of a few liberties taken.

Subplots such as Nick's romantic relationships have been cut as well as a few moments meant to flesh out characters further such as the book's talk of Daisy's daughter have been cut in order to focus on the books main themes and events. There are even a few added subplots including an entirely new one centered around Nick's ultimate fate that plays a key role in how the story is told.

Most of these changes aren't really a big deal at all. The one's that are involve exclusion from the story's conclusion. In order to avoid spoilers, let's just say that significant events that occurred during the book's finale are strangely missing here. A shame given that those moments served as powerful ways in which Fitzgerald fleshed out some of the more potent themes of his book.

Overall though it's still a pretty great adaption, if not entirely faithful. It hits on the most memorable events from the source material and brings them to life onscreen with considerable flash and style. The talented cast each portray their characters in ways that fit the book's depiction of them near-perfectly. Fitzgerald wrote an excellent story with The Great Gatsby. One that has done an incredible job of transcending time. The movie proves to be a great way to experience it. One with a lot of visual treats to excite audiences.