Rating: Summary: Visually stunning, simply appealing Review: Many people have written that this is an attempt to bring the musical kicking and screaming into the 21st century. I'm not sure if Baz Lurhmann was actually trying to do that when he made it. I think he was just trying to make an entertaining movie. And in that respect he succeeded admirably.In many ways the style of Moulin Rouge is an amalgamation of his previous two films. Visually it looks very like Romeo+Juliet (with choppy camera movement and off centered close ups) and it has the same snappy dance sets and offbeat humour as Strictly Ballroom. Plot wise it is very simple - boy meets girl, girl is promised to evil man, girl tries to save boy from evil man, love conquers all and then a tragic ending - but what is wrong with having a simple plot. The first part is quite light and frothy but the overtones for what follow are present. The second half slows the pace somewhat but descends into some quite powerful drama (maybe melodrama in some places but only just). To those who criticise this film for being unoriginal in its plot I ask what is so wrong with that? Are we no longer allowed make love stories because other people have already made them? Not every film needs to be completely original. The film is a simple story well told and surely that is quite enough. The film is a visual feast, sets and costumes are lavish and colorful. The dance sequences are beautifully put together (perhaps some could be a bit longer - the highlight for me was the Roxanne sequence). The music is unoriginal in content (only one new song) but completely original in the way it is used (Like A Virgin is a masterpiece of usage and again Roxanne is powerfully passionate). The singing is excellent when one considers that most of the leads are not professional singers. The acting is generally of a high quality (especially that of McGregor) and there is genuine chemistry between the leads. The villian is perhaps a touch too one-dimensional but blame can not be placed on the actor but rather the script which does not allow him character development. This is probably the main problem I had with the film. It might have been more interesting to have a complex villian. But perhaps that would have taken from the love story. This film is definitely not everybody's cup of tea. If you're not into musicals, or you have not enjoyed a previous Lurhmann experience, you are probably wiser to avoid it. If you are open-minded about them then give it a whirl. It's definitely an easy way to spend 2.5 hours and you may suprise yourself in how much you enjoyed it. I know I certainly did.
Rating: Summary: Horrible, Terrible Film Review: This is the best example of the modern, MTV-minded, no talent product of our generation. This "movie" winged way up to my top "garbage-movies" of all time! There is nothing original in the writing with this movie. It's like most of the pop-music we endure today: All Style- No Substance! If the real Moulin Rouge was like this, the house would've closed down and the curtain would've dropped years ago.
Rating: Summary: level Zero Review: I saw the movie and I want to help those poor people who are about to lose two hours of their precious time. I seldom heard such emptyness. The script is level zero of content. If Fox wants to survive, one of the first things it has to do is fire the sript-writer but maybe there was not any or maybe, to save money, Baz Luhrmann did ask some young illiterate 12 years old boy to write something about Paris, Love and Moulin Rouge. Whatever, the result is a complete disaster. Everything sounds wrong and you cannot understand why Nicole Kidman would fall in love with such a dumb guy who has no idea about writing or singing, and certainly no gift for poetry. Besides, be sure to find all the clichés about Paris, love and Toulouse-Lautrec! If the movie had been mute, it would have been better because, yes, the pictures and the colors are beautiful.
Rating: Summary: Bright, Fast-Paced, and Empty Review: Shakespeare once described life as, "A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, and signifying nothing." The same could be said of Moulin Rouge. I do not doubt that this is a well-made movie. It was pretty. The eye candy, the singing, the random pop references, these all made me gasp. However, anyone looking for substance beneath all this style will be sorely disappointed. The story starts out when the young British Christian (Ewan McGregor) first enters Paris of 1900. Immediately, he is swept up into the fascinating, fast-paced world of the bohemian revolution. This was actually the most interesting part of the movie, following the standard millieu plot - stranger enters world, stranger experiences world, stranger leaves (or decides to stay in) world. A device used quite well in many famous stories- Alice in Wonderland, Gulliver's Travels, Cabaret, the Narnia Chronicles... However, all too soon, the movie loses hold of this promising element, in favor of a love story involving Satine (Nicole Kidman), a courtesan at the infamous Moulin Rouge nightclub. Here, I saw another chance to add depth to the movie. Satine is put between the very upfront and idealistic Christian and the world of the Moulin Rouge where everything sparkles and nothing is real. However, all to soon she is won over by Christian, leaving only the external struggle and not the internal. The rest of the movie follows in this vein. What should I expect from the director of Romeo + Juliet? And the movie is quite fun. My only advice to all viewers is- don't get swept away by the appearance. Moulin Rouge is glitzy. As a sidenote: Don't go expecting to see the big-name stars looking gorgeous. McGregor was at an all-time plain in this movie.
Rating: Summary: excellent Review: as of october 2001, this is still the best film of the year, but we have yet to my preciouss! and until my preciouss comes out, moulin rouge is the best film of the year. very impressive art design, and creative use of music. but i would think this is a film that you either love or hate, as some of my friends didn't like it at all. but i believe that if you love music and creativity, this is one to own, and the best of the film, pre-my preciouss!
Rating: Summary: the best musical i've seen in a loooong time Review: This film is truly excellent. I was unsure at first about seeing it, but I was accompanied by a friend who had seen it, at that time, 8 times before. She vouched for its greatness. I discovered that not only can Ewan McGregor sing (and very well), but Nicole Kidman has some pipes on her! The story is amazing, and I can't wait until it comes out on video!! Ewan McGregor's character, Christian, tells the story after everything has happened, after his true love has died. Its a beautiful story of true love, even though sometimes we just want to yell "Christ Satine! Run off with him!!" Makes me want to name my children Christian and Satine...everything in this movie is so perfect, and the only way I keep from going insane before it comes out on video is to listen to the soundtrack at every chance I get!
Rating: Summary: Moulin Rouge; Best movie in the world Review: A couple of weeks ago my mum and dad took me to the pictures to see moulin rouge. I was interested in the moulin rouge before,and I liked the old movie so I knew I would love this. I must say, when it first started, I found it a bit boring, but when it got going it was really brilliant. I don't usually like musicals e.g The sound of music, But this film was absolutely magnificent. I think nicole kidman really portrayed the women of the moulin rouge well and I thought she had a great voice.The time, effort and coreographing that were put into this film was well worth it. The movie is dazzling, the music is spectacular and the performances were magnificent. Over-all it well deserves five stars. It's boss.
Rating: Summary: Powerful, and extravagant Review: This movie is one of the best I have ever seen. Certain scenes are a frenzy of swirling colors, skirts and the bright lights of the moulin rouge, whereas others are dark depressing and suited to the mood. In this movie the emotions of the characters are shown to the audience not only with speech, faces and actions but with the songs and dances. They are overly exagerated to send a stronger message. The actors seem to put as much feeling into their incredible singing as you imagine Christian and Satine would. The opening scene is quite good and the middle scenes are better as the story winds it's self to the climax but the best scene, the most powerful, intense scene in the movie is the very end, during the show they put on and then the final moments after. I won't ruin the end for you, you must see it for yourself and experience the power of Moulin Rouge.
Rating: Summary: Unforgettable Love Story Review: As an obsessive fan of Ewan M., I was skeptical about his doing a musical with Nicole Kidman. I always knew he had a great voice, but I doubted Baz could pull this one off. Oh...my...goodness. This was the best film I've ever seen. Every single actor put their hearts into these songs and it shows. No person in the theater could deny it. From Ewan's "Our Song" to a brief excerpt form the Sound of Music, you get chills with every note. The movie is pretty overstimulating the FIRST time you see it. It gets better and better with every viewing. All seven of my kids know the words to every song. "Grease" was the musical I remember from my childhood and "Moulin Rouge" is one my kids won't forget.
Rating: Summary: Diamonds are a girls best friend Review: Well here it is, the followup to Romeo + Juliet that I have been waiting for for 5 years. Baz Luhrmann, the posterchild for hyperactive filmmaking is back at it again. This time he is making a musical in his own unique or sick (depending on your perspective) sort of way. His style consists of cut after cut, visual upon visual, brain overload filmmaking. Taking it all in is next to impossible, but that's what's great about it, multiple viewings are a must. I was having doubts about this movie just because it took so long to make. In the end though, I wasn't disappointed by this movie at all, it is a singular piece of work that actually got me emotionally involved in the story. I can't say that about much these days, let alone a Hollywood film. Ewan and Nicole strike up a real chemistry, and their voices are surprisingly good. The anachronistic music scenes are typical Baz: huge sets, outlandish costumes, insane camerawork, it's all here. It's anything but boring, and all a bit overwhelming. It's hard not to get caught up in the spectacle of it all. The story is in the typically melodramatic musical mold. Good vs. Evil, good guy vs. Bad Guy, love conquers all type of stuff. But it's done with such pizazz, and outright insanity that I was enthralled and I guarantee you will be too. You might just want to take a trip to the Moulin Rouge.
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