The Great Gatsby Review

Dazzling effects and performances make this Great Gatsby adaptation the best one we've got and probably the best one we will ever get.
The Great Gatsby just may be the finest piece of American literature created. The movies that were made based off of the Great Gatsby, on the other hand, are a different story. In 1974, Jack Clayton directed an adaptation of The Great Gatsby staring Robert Redford, and in 2000, director Robert Markowitz directed a TV movie Gatsby film. In both cases, the movies were less than satisfactory. Now, in 2013, Baz Luhrmann directs his adaptation of one of the best books ever made. Compared to the previous Gatsby films, Baz Luhrman's version is easily the best.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Jay Gatsby, the millionaire with a million secrets. In one of his best roles to date, DiCaprio makes the audience avidly cheer for Gatsby to win the girl of his dreams. The themes of this movie are represented beautifully in this film. The first half of this movie moves very fast and with great hyperactivity, but once Baz Luhrmann slows down and focuses on the great, rich characters that Scott Fitzgerald created, the film transcends far beyond any other adaptation. These are the moments in which the actors show what they are truly capable of, and Baz proves that he can film a scene of people standing in a room talking that is more breathtaking and intense than anything CGI can make happen. 

The romance in this film is extremely powerful. The chemistry between the two leads, played beautifully by DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan, is undeniable and infectious. Carey Mulligan plays a wonderful version of the ditsy blonde Daisy. The two are undeniably great actors, and you can almost physically feel the love and yearning between the two lovers. 

 The rest of this talented cast also did an incredible job. Joel Edgerton really brings to life the rich, sleazy character of Tom Buchanan to the big screen. Tobey Maguire was the one casting choice that I was not initially thrilled about. I know he is a solid actor but I didn't think he could pull off such a complicated character as Nick Caraway. I was pleasantly surprised, however, by how well he pulled it off. You can practically feel the relationship between Nick and Gatsby grow as time goes on. Overall, The Great Gatsby is filled with really great actors on the top of their game. The visuals in this film, although over the top at times, really added to the scope of the film and made you really appreciate the smaller scenes of the film. In the end, it is not a perfect movie, but it is definitely the best Gatsby film ever made and very likely the best one that will ever be made. Final Rating- B+