Review of The Great Gatsby (2013) by Nicky N — 06 Jul 2014
The film looks stunning and is a very faithful adaptation of the book (at least 90% of the dialogue is lifted directly from it) but Baz Luhrmann brings a tacky, clunky approach that doesn't suit the source material at all.
The cast are near-perfect representations of the original characters but give extremely hammy performances; in addition the film foregrounds some awful modern hip hop that is both ugly and distracting.
Leonardo DiCaprio gives a very strong performance as Gatsby, bringing out the complex character's charm and vulnerability, but the rest of the film lacks this necessary subtlety; its heavy-handed approach limits it at every stage.
Like Gatsby himself, the film has energy and ambition but lacks sophistication, and this is ultimately its undoing.
This review of The Great Gatsby (2013) was written by Nicky N on 06 Jul 2014.
The Great Gatsby has generally received positive reviews.
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