Though it didn’t take the top spot at the box office this weekend, people are talking about the latest adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby directed by Baz Luhrmann.
A Midwestern war veteran finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbor.
Did you venture out into the bright sunshine and warm weather of Spring to check the movie out? Did you like it, or hate it? Use the comment section below to share your thoughts on the movie.
Stephen Schleicher began his career writing for the Digital Media Online community of sites, including Digital Producer and Creative Mac covering all aspects of the digital content creation industry. He then moved on to consumer technology, and began the Coolness Roundup podcast. A writing fool, Stephen has freelanced for Sci-Fi Channel's Technology Blog, and Gizmodo. Still longing for the good ol' days, Stephen launched Major Spoilers in July 2006, because he is a glutton for punishment. You can follow him on Twitter @MajorSpoilers and tell him your darkest secrets...
2 Comments
While I don’t think adaptations should necessarily slavishly follow the source material, the decision to have Nick narrating from a mental institution was baffling to me. And even from a Jay-Z fan the score was very distracting.
I honestly wish Luhrmann had pulled a Romeo + Juliet, and simply set the story in 2007 America, before the crash. After all, the Great Gatsby was written in 1925, less than 5 years before the Gilded Age imploded in financial ruin. The odes to modern culture would have been less jarring, and you would barely need to change the story. Uber-class of idle rich, fiddling while Rome burns? Backdrop of popular discontent and spiritual directionlessness? Fitzgerald’s book was meant as a critique of the relentless pursuit of the “American Dream”, and you know what they say about history repeating itself.
I decided to give this a pass for two reasons: Even though the previews look gorgeous, any movie that gets delayed for a year, well, you know it’s going to have problems. And a period movie with a contemporary sound track may be cool and fashionable, but if I am watching a movie set in the 20s and 30s I expect music of the period, not rock music or rap music. I guess I’m just old fashioned that way.