Rating: 
Summary: Ehhhhh...........
Review: First of all, modernizing Shakespeare is a tricky thing. Not because I'm in that camp that thinks his works are sacred and should NEVER be trifled with (Okay guys! Will was great but he was not GOD. If we can edit the Bible for TV, can't we edit the Bard? Hm?) but because it has to be done in a way that does not distract from the story, and it has to be done in a way so that you can lose yourself in the dialogue even though it does not "fit" with the time period. We'll dispense with the "bad" first. I had several problems with this film. Many times, the actors are saying their lines and it is *painfully* obvious they have no idea what they are talking about. They will latch on to one word that they understand and emphasize it, destroying the whole flow of the line, and taking emphasis off the whole point of their dialogue. There was alot of inflection and screaming of lines that seemed.....odd. In the middle of scenes, the action suddenly speeds up for no apparent reason like we're watching on fast forward. This is not only distracting, but pointless. My second problem: Claire Danes. Now don't get me wrong, I like Claire. I adored "My So Called Life", but her Juliet is the most lifeless, bland, and spiritless interpretation I've ever seen. Juliet is the most passionate female role Shakespeare ever wrote. She is vivacious, expressive, and madly in love. Throughout this entire film, I never see any of that from Claire. She delivers her lines like she's telling Romeo about the weather, and when her cousin is killed by her new husband her expression is the same as it has been through the whole film, like she's contemplating taking a shower or a bath! When Juliet wakes up and finds her husband dead, she chokes out ONE sob and a not very convincing one at that. Another problem I had with the casting of Claire is that I just don't feel she was attractive enough to play Juliet, especially paired with Leonardo Dicaprio. It was a bit unbelievable that his sexy, brooding, Romeo would fall passionately in love with this rather plain, emotionless girl. Thirdly, could someone please tell me WHY Juliet's mother speaks with a southern accent?! And why are all of Juliet's family obviously of spanish decent when she, her mother, and her father are not? It was also a little hard to buy that Romeo was living in a trailer in Mantua. Did he have a velvet Elvis painting as well? Hmm....Ah well...on to the good. The updating swords to guns worked rather smoothly and calling the guns "Sword 9mm" etc. was a nice touch. The balcony scene taking place in the pool was really quite brave and it worked well. The aquarium when they first meet was very affective and was a cute addition of "hide and go seek" as they peek through at each other, eventually culminating in Romeo knocking his face against the glass. Mercutio being a drag queen was an ingenius idea, and definitely not one I would have ever imagined. Very clever! Paul Rudd is adorable as Paris, which is a pleasant surprise considering in most versions, Paris is usually old, ugly, and almost always has a nose of a very unusual shape (I don't know why this is but it seems to be a pattern). The costumes at the party were very cute. Romeo as a knight and Juliet as an angel. Not very original, but cute just the same. The love scene before Romeo leaves for his exile is sexy but tastefully done. Leonardo Dicaprio plays Romeo as a misunderstood James Dean-esque rebel with a mysterious aura about him. Even by the end of the film, it feels we don't truly know all there is to know about Romeo. This brings a freshness to the character and gives him some more depth, (although Dicaprio *should* have spent more time learning to understand his lines. He is just as guilty of overemphasizing incorrect words as the others are). The ending of the film is done lavishly which adds to the inevitable climax. Dicaprio does a good job of conveying his pain and loss over the "death" of his wife. The ending of this film is a bit different from others in that it has gleaned much from the story of R&J which Shakespeare based his play on rather than the play itself. This adds an even more tragic somberness to the ending (as if it needed it!) which is an unexpected, yet effective addition. The music chosen and scored for this film is all quite good. The use of Radiohead's "Talk Show Host" as Romeo's theme music fits Dicaprio's moody version of the character to a tee. The piano muscled "Kissing You" is a lovely song and fits well as the background to the aquarium scene. All of that said, this film is worth watching, especially if you enjoy Shakespeare. It has many things that work, and many things that do not, but it is still enjoyable. However, if you wish to see a more passionate and conventional version of Romeo and Juliet, I still recommend the 1969 Zeffirelli version with Leonard Whiting and the incomparable Olivia Hussey. For me, it sets the standard to which all versions of Romeo and Juliet will be compared.
Rating: 
Summary: The Bard Would Like It
Review: I suspect Shakespeare would be pleased with Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of his work. The 1968 version of Romeo & Juliet was-- like this-- quite different from that which proceeded it. (Before Franco Zeffirelli's film, Romeo and Juliet were always played by adults.)
I am mildly embarassed to confess that when I saw Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet in the theaters, I was profoundly confused. Aside from reading the Cliff Notes about the play and watching the Zeffirelli film (of course, with the brief nudity redacted)in high school too-many years prior, I honestly did not know the tale. Having matured intellectually and in the comfort of my home, I gave the DVD a try-- since Strictly Ballroom and Moulin Roughe both pleased me, I assumed I just missed something. And I was right. This is extremely loyal to the feel, the fun, the drama, and the tension of Shakespeare.
Since I am making my true confessions, here is another: I watched it again... with subtitles. I missed a lot because of the clever manner in which the dialouge is arranged, which, naturally, is foriegn to my ear.
There are only two criticisms I have. Even though this film has a largely camp feel, Leonardo DiCaprio somehow manages to overract many of his lines. Indeed, there are two points at which I cringe as Leonardo annuciates exactly the incorrect words; yet reveals an I-am-so-smart gleem in his eye. The second is merely of the DVD. It teases you with "Special Features," only to discover that the only feature is the trailer. This is disappointing. Features, being plural, certainly made me expect something more. Probably more relevant was my recent purchase of the Moulin Rouge DVD, which was so jam-packed with extras that I have spent hours wading through them and am not finished. Something more here would have been nice.
Rating: 
Summary: A Work of Art
Review: I must say that Baz Lurhmann is a gifted person. His ways of telling the story, the choreography, the music, everything. He truly deserves every award he is nominated for.
I can't stand Leo DiCaprio, but he & Claire Daines did beautifully in their roles as the Star-Crossed Lovers. The language of Shakespeare is spoken wonderfully.
For those who will be seeing this for the first time: prepare yourselves. I can guarantee you that at 1st, it will be too much to handle. But the more you see it, the more you'll love it. That's how it was w/ me.
The movie first starts out w/ the prologue ("Two households...")and all these fly-by viewings and zoomings of Verona Beach (filmed in Mexico City).
If you don't like stylized movies, then this is definitely not the type of movie to see. The "swords" in this movie are guns and since the movie was filmed in Mexico, you'll see many icons & paintings of the Virgin Mary & Jesus Christ. But nothing blasphemous.
I could go on for hours about this, but I shan't. People who have not seen this: SEE IT!! It is the most beautifully-told version of Shakespeare's masterpiece I have ever seen. For fellow Baz Lurhmann fans:
With the success of "Moulin Rouge", Baz has finished this trilogy he has worked on for years. It is called the "Red Curtain Trilogy". "Strictly Ballroom", "R+J", & "Moulin Rouge" are the trilogy. In each movie, Baz tells the story through 1 subject:
"Strictly Ballroom": dance
"R+J": language
"Moulin Rouge": song
Rating:
Summary: you will love it
Review: if you love the original romeo and juliet you will ove this movie. this version has a present day twist to it. people like to say that it makes fun of the original, but i think that it makes it easier to understand. this is the best movie to have in your collection.
Rating:
Summary: Baz+William
Review: I hadn't yet connected Romeo+Juliet to Strictly Ballroom via Baz Luhrman when I saw first this movie, and I was a little skeptical about this whole skewing of the Bard thing. All my hesitation disappeared. It may have had something to do with John Leguizamo's performance (always a good choice, in my opinion), it may have had something to do with the brilliant soundtrack, or maybe the costuming, or maybe the sets. More probably it is the way the whole is joined together in a way the sets off the original voice of Shakespeare, highlighting the violence and the passion, the poetry and the drama in a way that makes it sing and live. It sparkles and it's brilliant in a way that was entirely unexpected, and that continues to be.
Rating:
Summary: Ok ok
Review: This movie may not be the best film in the world but most of you are totally missing the point. Like the character Mercutio was NOT a drag Queen or Tranvestite!! He dressed as a woman for a joke! And I think it fitted the mercutio character he was funny and the best character in the play, in zeferilli's and this movie as well. I also thought the lines were delivered very well, except Claire Danes, she made some mistakes and you can tell she was having problems. Leo wouldn't have been my pick as Romeo but he did alright, stop being so traditional and watch with an open mind.
Rating:
Summary: Some people just don't get it...
Review: It's common to update Shakespeare, and this is a nice adaptation. The filmmakers are trying to say that the themes and feelings in R & J are universal and timeless, and the story is updated well to make that work. I especially like the opening scene: Shakespeare often opened with a clown to make the audience pay attention--the director here opens with a punk rock clown-hair colored thug. Nice in-joke. I take a star away because, although I don't mind EDITING Shakespeare, I have some problems that the lines were put in the wrong order. One, in particular ("The drugs are quick") moved from the death scene at the end to the party scene at the beginning--changing its meaning and altering perception of both scenes.
Rating: 
Summary: Applaud the risk-taking -- but avoid the movie
Review: On the one hand, I applaud the risk taking in this cruel and creepy rendition of "Romeo and Juliet." With movies being so commercially uniform and predictable these days, it is nice to see someone attempting to answer their own muse. Sadly, this particular adaptation of the play is really awful. In my view, Luhrman completely misses the soul and heart of the original. What a conundrum-- Bravo Boldness! Bravo Art! Boooo The Movie!
Rating:
Summary: jekyll and hyde
Review: this movie must be reviewed as two separate movies. i can think of no other way that would do justice.
FIRST: as a remake of romeo and juliet. as a fanatic of romeo and juliet, and especially the 1968 zefirelli version, i absolutely hated this movie. the scenes were twisted, cut, changed and defiled until it was almost unrecognizable. favorite characters were dropped (such as the nurse who was such an important and lovable character, while in this version she is a one dimensional character who cannot speak english) or altered in horrible ways. (never have i ever pictured mercutio as a black drag queen) the roles were horrifically miscast for the difficult dialogue. this is most apparent in the first scene where a fight breaks out at a gas station. it's like watching people speaking a foreign language that they have been taught to say phonetically but have no idea what the words mean. they try their pathetic little hearts out but the end result is cringe-worthy. as a final opinion: i will never ever forgive baz luhrmann for [...messing] with the balcony scene. not ever.
SECOND: as a movie of its own. visually spectacular and nothing short of what we've come to expect of baz luhrmann and his fanciful eye for the exotic, the beautiful, the ethereal. let me put it to you this way: even cosidering the above opinions i will still buy this movie and try not cringe-- just so i can see the incredible images he creates. the soundtrack is decent and the acting is mostly passable, the best in the bunch being claire danes as juliet. i may be biased, however, by my firm belief that leonardo dicraprio should never be cast in any role with the possible exception of the portrayal of a buttrock. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of the great american buttrock, i will attempt to explain. in school plays, when you have too many actors and not enough parts, someone will have to provide scenery by getting down on all fours, with their butt in the air, and have a sheet put over them so that they may be mistaken for a rock. voila, la buttrock.
Rating:
Summary: Teen flick
Review: When this movie came out, I was absolutely in love with it. To me, it was a version of shakespear that was actually understandable. But I was young. I had a crush on a guy I didn't even talk to, and I cried because the two of them only really had three days together. I constantly related it to the feelings I had for someone else. We are so blinded sometimes that we don't even catch that romeo and juliet isn't about true love. Its not surprising that we don't catch it in this version because the director wanted to focus on selling the love story in it. Romeo and Juliet do not have a perfect love. They are completely infatuated with each other. The one thing they have in common is that they are both very impulsive. They are constantly rushing into things, when things don't go there way "oh I must kill myself." The preist tries to tell them this, but they never listen. This is an oversimplified hollywood romance flick spin off on the play. Its still enjoyable, however.
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