As the summer blockbuster season kicks off with superheroes and spaceships, The Great Gatsby arrives and planks itself right in the middle. A movie based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel. To many The Great Gatsby name may be familiar, and you’d be correct. You may have last seen Jim Carrey read from it as Andy Kaufman in Man On The Moon. It may also be on your book shelf, or you may have been forced upon you in school.
Regardless, it tells the story of Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) who is lured into the lavish and luxurious world of his neighbour Jay Gatsby (Leonardo Di Caprio). Gatsby has an ulterior motive for befriending Carraway, namely his cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan). What follows is a tale of opulence, deceit and love, all set in the early 1920s. And we’ll park that there as I don’t want to start delving into spoilers too much.
Visually, The Great Gatsby is nothing short of mind blowing. Director Baz Luhrmann has really outdone himself here. 1920s New York is vividly and stylistically brought to life. Attention to detail is staggering as costumes and sets are utterly convincing. Combined with the long pans, zooms and unique camera angles this is a very unique looking film that impresses scene after scene. From it’s opening, it will leave you breathless as you try and take everything in. By the time the first hour has passed, you’ll wonder where time has gone as the pacing and the story telling that pushes it is superb. Tragically, things start slowing down a bit from here and the movie sort of lingers and seems at times, bizarrely boring, where you’ll be just urging it to move along. And while it does get going again, those brilliant, breath taking first impressions are now only a distant memory.
Besides the striking visuals, a special mention must go to the soundtrack though. Featuring the likes of Jay-Z, Florence and the Machine, Jack White, Beyonce and a whole list of household names, it’s a bizarre listing to have attached to a 1920s film. However, it does work incredibly well, even if at times it only confuses the onscreen era. It may well split audiences down the middle, but for this reviewer at least, it worked and compliments the visual style quite well.
Cast wise, Luhrmann has done well here. Tobey Maguire is especially impressive projecting that Peter Parker style innocence we’ve become accustomed to. His on screen chemistry with his long-time real life friend Leonardo DiCaprio, is effortless. Speaking of effortless, DiCaprio’s performance is also effortless, in the sense that he doesn’t break much of a sweat. He seems a natural fit for the character of Gatsby, but it’s only in the final chapters does a genuinely good performance come out. Carey Mulligan and Joel Edgerton though, are simply brilliant, with both of them stealing scene after scene, time and time again. It’s only for their introductions in the brilliant opening hour or so, that may keep you in your seat for the dragged out midway parts!
From the 3D point of view, unfortunately a 3D version wasn’t available for the viewing I attended, but I would speculate this is something that warrants the extra few quid to see the 3D version as it has moment after moment that is just screaming 3 dimensions.
Andy Kaufman tackled hecklers with readings of The Great Gatsby, which continued long after many audience members upped sticks and made for the exits. If you were brave enough to endure the ramblings from beginning to their lengthy end, no doubt you felt you were part of something special and unique. If you’re brave enough to endure Baz Luhrmann’s take on F. Scott Fitzgeralds book, then you will be rewarded with stunning visuals, solid performances, and a soundtrack that bizarrely works, but it falls short of being special and unique.
While this is not going to be for everybody, it is very watchable and entertaining but it’s more Gatsby than Great Gatsby.
