A truly Great movie!

There’s a Hollywood saying that a good book makes a bad film … although I have never read The Great Gatsby, it must have been a potboiler because not only did it make a terrific film, I left the theatre feeling reinvigorated.

Despite the negative reviews, I thought the film was brilliantly done in almost every aspect. Right from the start the viewer is taken on a surreal journey with magic in every scene.

The set, costumes and acting were all reinforced by the use of a great soundtrack, artistic filming techniques and fantastic editing.

Director Baz Luhrmann transformed the words of F Scott Fitzgerald into a world of outlandish imagination. He uses the classic to his advantage to attract a modern audience and creates surrealist art and imagery for them to be in awe of … there’s so much about the visuals to be said.

However, the movie would have been near perfect if it were an hour shorter and if Tobey Maguire, well, wasn’t in it!

The film is set in the roaring Twenties in New York. Nick Carraway (Maguire), a recent graduate and stock market employee, relocates to West Egg, Long Island, just outside of Manhattan, to live in a little cottage surrounded by the mansions of the rich.

He becomes intrigued by his neighbour, Jay Gatsby, a mysterious character (DiCaprio) who holds fantastical parties, with modern hip-hop beats, that anyone who’s anyone attends.
 
No one knows where Gatsby came from or how he accumulated his wealth but people get on the rumour mill and it spreads like wildfire across the city.

When Nick becomes Gatsby’s latest project, he finds himself caught in a love triangle between the wealthy party man and his cousin, Daisy (Mulligan), who lives just opposite the bay with her wealthy husband Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton).

Viewers soon come to realise that Gatsby once courted Daisy when he was an officer in the First World War but lost her to Tom because he was penniless. However, now he’s as wealthy as her husband, he will do whatever it takes to get her back.

DiCaprio is one of the best actors out there and, although this performance won’t necessarily win him the Oscar he deserves, his portrayal of the character was brilliant. The intensity of his acting and emotion was reinforced by the visual glamour of the era. He owned the character; his versatility and authenticity was definitely on show.

Edgerton, surprisingly, stole every scene he was in. He made me angry, laugh and roll my eyes at his vulgarity, which is how I assume Luhrmann wanted the audience to react.

Although I believe another actor should have taken Maguire’s place, his naïve wide-eyed stare worked well. And I hate to say it, he grew on me halfway through … he wasn’t terrible, just miscast.

Luhrmann takes many risks throughout the film. Some may have not paid off to Fitzgerald devotees, but no one can deny that the cinematography was brilliant. I, at least, was in awe of the beautiful imagery with flawless lighting, filming and designs.

All-in-all, Luhrmann made the film work. The story was clear, the acting was great, the music was ironically well-placed and half of the audience (the ones that didn’t walk out halfway through) were engaged throughout. Now … it’s time to read the book and see what the fuss is all about!

*Showing in Cineco, Seef I, Al Jazeera Cineplex, Saar Cineplex