William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet (Special Edition)

Rating:
Summary: "Luminous!"
Review: I was bowled over by the fresh new approach and meaning given to the ancient words of Shakespeare. This film made the story accessible and relevant for modern times. I watched it twice in a row. I loved it!

Rating:
Summary: Why Couldn't All Shakespeare Be Like This
Review: Baz Lurhman's version of Romeo and Juliet was great. I never thought that Shakespeare could be so much fun to watch. The movie follows the same storyline: two teenagers from two fighting houses fall madly in love and kill themself because of their family's hate. The catch though: the story has been moved from the 1600's to the 1990's. Lurhman retells the story in a modern way using guns for swords, a pill for Queen Mab, and cars instead of carriages. The movie is great. The language stays the same people. Sorry about that one.

Rating:
Summary: Original Idea with a modern adaptation
Review: There is little to speak about the plot. Is just simply the original R&J written by Shakespeare. No doubts about it. The tragedy takes place in a place of Italy. The adaptation is only visual swords were replaced by guns, dressing is modern. characters drive cars, press and media talks about both families and their rivalry, and more details. However the scripts were still kept in verse (poems) using a lot of the ones used in the original play. There are parts that the movie becomes boring, but it also happens to me when I read the original. Acting is good and natural in all characters. The production and materials are good. Nevertheless, I liked this movie, but I liked Shakespeare's R&J better. If you like to listen to the R&J's rhyme or if you like romantic movies, this movie should be in your collection of 'seen movies' at least for compromise.

Rating:
Summary: Worthy Effort
Review: Claire and Leo did a good job reciting the lines from the play, but their love was just not believable. The modern day setting of the play, to me, was kind of tacky. The play loses its authenticity and you don't get the "total experience" you should from a Shakesperean play. Or in this case, a movie based on a Shakesperean play.

Rating:
Summary: I was converted
Review: I am a Shakespeare fanatic. I was convinced that I was going to hate this film. I went to see it and wasn't overly impressed until the scene when Romeo and Juliet meet each other. It then transports the viewer away. Quirky but with a purpose. This movie won me over and it will win you over too. It is daring, inventive, and still captures the core of Shakespeare's message. Give it a chance and allow it to win you over. You will be glad you did.

Rating:
Summary: interesting take on shakespeare
Review: I like the movie a lot better than I thought I would, though I will admit nothing comes close to the Romeo and Juliet done by Franco Zeffereli. Not too bad of a movie, nonetheless. Leonardo DiCaprio actually did a better job here than in Titanic (not saying much), and Claire Danes was pretty good in her role as Juliet. Overall, a fair job, but I will always prefer the original...sorry, just my opinion

Rating:
Summary: past vs present
Review: The movie is arguably more appealing to the younger generation. I guess some fans of william shakespere and the classics had already set out to criticise the movie before they saw it, nothing but the original version would satisfy them. however, another group would have been looking forward to a this refreshing modified version. Even though the movie had lost that appealing ancientness, about it, it still held great uniqueness and funlike structure in its mismatch of past and present styles. for example, the scenery, props and clothing were a mix of both. I felt that it gave the show a more magical aura, as though it was a kind of caught in between the times. that was certainly interesting. Then, of course, there's shakesperes charm minus its oldness. hey, the movie kept the originals emotions. shakespere was getting a bit stuffy for this time and age and i guess this movie kept all its literary value while injecting some fun into it.

Rating:
Summary: Romeo and Juliet was a nice try ... but not good enough.
Review: Baz Luhrmann's heart was in the right place by making this modernized adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. This film is an inventive way to introduce young people to the beautiful and poignant world of Shakespeare. Unfortunately I believe that he might have underestimated the attention span of today's youth by attempting to appeal to them with cartoon like visual effects and a deafening soundrack. the Bard's poetry and the relevance of this movie's modern environment should have been sufficient. Unlike most people I feel that Dicaprio delivered an insightful and moving performance as the young Romeo. Danes on the other hand was a weak Juliet and should leave Shakespeare to the pros. John Leguizamo gave us an intriguing and powerful Tybalt and this film's Mercutio is beyond compare. Sadly enough, even with these performances acting as a strength for the film, it's weaknesses and monumental cuts from the text will probably leave most Shakespeare lovers cold.

Rating:
Summary: .
Review: I didn't expect anything too great, but this was simply painful to watch. I have nothing against quirkiness, or modern takes on Shakespeare, but watching this film is a lot like watching an obnoxiously loud, two-hour-long commercial that's trying hard to tell the teenagers of the world that "we understand what you think is cool." Chris Tucker does NOT help. Nor does the eye-wearying, goofy, rapid-fire editing. Nor does the fact that the actors are simply not very compelling in their roles. I don't see how anyone other than teeny-bopper girls who like to see Leonardo DiCaprio wet could get much of anything out of this. It simply has no charm, no sense of tact or aesthetic restraint. The attempts at humor are never funny. It may be true that it is meant to be over-the-top, but it could've been over-the-top and done well at the same time. Instead it's a tiresome, annoying mess.

Rating:
Summary: Laughably bad
Review: I have nothing against modern adaptations of classics, but it is painfully obvious that the cast in R+J had no idea what they were saying, let alone what the story was actually about. Those who praise the film forget that the story itself is a masterpiece, and it's almost impossible to destroy the beauty of it. R+J comes close, though; bad acting and dizzying foolishness at its worst. Stick with the Olivia Hussey version.