Rating: 
Summary: Electrifying!
Review: This electrifying adaptation is an amazing tribute to how effectively the world of today can by synthesized with the words written by Shakespeare in the 1500's
Once again we are reminded of how what Shakespeare wrote then is a relevant today as ever
I'm not a fan of Leonardo de Caprio but must say that in the role of Romeo he excelled himself, while the beautiful Claire Danes was charming and unforgettable in her role as Juliet
The production begins with the narrators represented as a newsreader on a TV screen and from there we are taken to the town of Verona Beach where we observe gang warfare, deals made in corporate high-rise buildings and the lavish parties in 1990's style
I was electrified throughout the performance and amazed at the genius of the adaptation
Kudos must also go to the actors who so brilliantly portrayed the villainous and slick gangland leader Tybalt and the drag artist Mercutio
Rating: 
Summary: ratings based on averages are for average people
Review: i felt COMPELLED to try and bring the ratings curve down on this
unforgivable mess of a film. granted, this particular play is
not my favorite of the bard's, but even this one deserves better
treatment than it received. (oh... if ONLY i could give it ZERO stars.....)
while i'm more than willing to allow directors to edit shakespeare's text to fit their format, the most beautiful
and enduring feature of his plays is THE DIALOGUE. this wretched mess, aside from being apallingly miscast, cutsthe text to unrecognizable ribbons.
i'm not opposed to taking the play out of its time period to
make it more identifiable to modern audiences, either. done properly, romeo and juliet would certainly work in modern times.
(ian mackellan's richard III is an absolute masterwork, and
NOT just by comparison, either.)
the only possible redeeming quality this misguided mess might seem to offer, is that somewhere, out there in box office land, usa, it may have helped to turn some young people on to the bard.
let's just hoped it turned more people TO him than AWAY from him.
the release of this blasphemous affront to people everywhere SHOULD HAVE been heralded in technical journals, for the amazing breakthrough some software genius made to accurately reproduce the stench of human excrement from a DVD-ROM.
Rating: 
Summary: Smells Like Bard Spirit
Review: The widespread criticism of this film is a bit puzzling to me, as any film that makes the timelessness of Shakespeare not only palpable, but beloved by the MTV generation as a cult video hit should be appreciated and, hell, lauded for such a feat. And this play, above all others, to my mind, *needs* to be kept alive for teens to enjoy, as it's a breathtaking story of the purest love driven to tragedy by foolishness and impatience. It's the perfect catharsis for the broken-hearted, and the perfect date movie. Shakespeare was first and foremost, an entertainer for the masses, not an obtuse artist whose work was only meant to be appreciated by a select few. (I know there are plenty who'll argue that point vehemently with me --- bring it on.) DiCaprio gives us a great slacker in Romeo, who shows (to borrow from another play) "only the suits and trappings of woe" when we first see him writing love poetry to an unrequited love at the beginning of the film, and he flares to life wonderfully after meeting Juliet. Danes does a great job playing Juliet as a young woman, who is mature but so deeply in love that she ignores her better judgment, rather than going the easier "ditzy girl" route with the character. Nearly every actor in the film does a top-notch job at contemporizing their characters. As for the film itself, much has been made of the colourful art direction and the music-video editing, but it is really only truly radical on the surface. When compared to another recent contemporisation of Shakespeare, Michael Almerayda's Hamlet, Luhrmann's take on Romeo and Juliet truly is quite conservative in preserving the play's meanings beneath the flashy surface. My only qualms with the film? At times, the soundtrack truly hurts the film, adding nearly nothing and actually hurting the mood. Poppy songs like The Cardigans' "Lovefool" are shoe-horned in just for a moment or two, for the sake of saying they were in the movie. On the other hand, Des'ree's gorgeous song "Kissing You" is perfect for the title lovers' first meeting, and Radiohead's two additions, "Talk Show Host" and "Exit Music (for a Film)" work wonders for the mood. The opening scene of violence, obviously paying homage to Hong Kong action cinema is done with far too much over-the-top campiness. The opening scene should to be so memorable that the intense violence echoes throughout the rest of the play, adding proof that the lovers' families are truly the most bitter of enemies. As it is, not only is the scene quite easily forgotten, but the tone is completely out-of-sync with the rest of the film. Luhrmann shows us that he can quite capably handle scenes of memorable violence later in the film during Mercutio's death scene, though. The constant bombardment of Christian imagery grows a bit weary and obvious at times (even showing up in the film's "R+J" title) but Luhrmann's message that the purity of love is sacred and even holy is well-intentioned and rings true. Thanks to great performances and energetic direction, though, these flaws don't come close to spoiling a fresh and exhilariting update on one of the greatest works of drama in history, one which will be beloved of me and my peers for years to come. And the chicks dig it.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Hate! Appreciate!
Review: This movie was wonderful. What made it wonderful was the bold approach that director Baz Lurhman tackled it from. Does anyone out there think that turning a classic Shakesphearean romance into a modern day pic about teen angst and rebelliousness is easy? Is it equally as easy to try and maintain the beauty and elegance that is Shakespeare while at the same time trying to capture all aspects and diversities of youth? Hmmmm.... didn't think so. Please do the world a favor. Don't hate! Appreciate! Appreciate this mans' talent and gift for creating never before devised insights. Am I wrong when I say that we are a world weary of imitators and constantly salivating for something new to nibble on?
Rating:
Summary: Mercuito is a crossdresser? Ri--ght..
Review: Oh my god.. How can I describe the utter atrocity of this half-baked attempt at bringing Shakespeare to the movie screen in less than 1,000 words? *takes a breath* I'll try to,though.. Okay,the major problems were: 1. Keeping the Elizabethan dialect. The reason this was so bad was because *none* of the actors knew how to say it to where it sounded belivabale. (The balcony scene,which should have been renamed to the "gratuitous sex in the pool with something vaugely resembiling Shakespeare" scene). 2. Mercutio was re-written as a crossdresser. *No*! In the play,Mercuito was eccentric (and for the better half of acts 1 and 2,comical relief) but he was not and should not have been a crossdresser. I saw varied clips of R+J (and dosen't that title just scream "High school bathroom grafiti!"?) in the Garbage music video "(My) Number One Crush" (....Why was pop music introduced into this insepid mess? To appeal to the teeny boppers,of course!) most noteably,a clip with a black man wearing a cotton candy pink afro-wig dressed in something that could pass for a skimpy bathing suit,singing (or was it screaming?) in front of fire works. *That's* supposed to be Mercuitio? Ri--ight.. Please,if you like Shakespeare,don't waste your time on this insiped,drippy-eyed garbage. You'll be doing yourself a favour.
Rating: 
Summary: Romy-O & Julie 8
Review: If anything, this film and its interpretation of ROMEO AND JULIET is nothing short of unique. Shakespeare's stories are often transported to different times and locales but this film, placing the story on Verona Beach succeeds better than most on that level. Aside from that and a tremendous performance by Peter Posthelwaite as Father Lawrence, the film has very little going for it. In fact, if it weren't for the Tiger Beat crowd, the film would have failed. (If your screensaver is LEONARDO DICAPRIO or you have any picture of him on your wall, you know what I'm talking about). Still, Billy Shakespeare has some cool stories and always deserve new, fresh looks. True, his words are bastardized here, both by the 'new screenplay' and by community theatre line delivery. Hopefully, this and other films like it, will bring people to the bard... and to the theatre.
Rating:
Summary: Baz Luhrmann¿s R&J
Review: If/when a live genius elects to credit/blame a dead genius as part of the commercial naming of one of these projects, Baz Luhrmann might want to leave the nightengales/larks in place? Nevertheless, this intoxicating dramatic machine, Shakespeare's gift to the adolescent (in fact or dreams) in each of us, always WORKS, somehow, if any audience LIKES the human beings cast as leading star-crossed players. Claire Danes is a deeply attractive Juliet. Many can EITHER deliver the lines decently OR project sweet 14 graciously. Few can handle the mix as effectively as Ms. Danes. Leonardo seems functional enough as Romeo, though this judgement is best left to adolescent (& older) women, who apparently enjoy the dude? One may wish for MUCH less simultaneous &/or alternate speeding up & dumbing down of the play, regret the careless/stupid excesses of the production, bemoan the harsh fact that yes this IS a fair example of the kind of vile punky gunslinging cinema that can assist a troubled youth into murderous temptation, all that. But it was ever thus, if slightly less brazenly/obviously in 1595? This is the Teenager in Love zone. Visit (or revisit) at your own risk.
Rating:
Summary: awesome
Review: definately one of the better romeo & juliet movies...the cast is absolutely perfect...they're awesome at the roles they got. definately one of my favorite movies.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely movie
Review: All i have to say is that this is one of the last good movies Leonardo did before Titanic come along and sank his career and respect.
Rating:
Summary: Fair adaptation, but not much more
Review: The contemporary retelling of Shakespeare's tale really does not work on many levels. While it's not impossible to have a high quality modernization of Shakespeare (Richard III is a good example), it is difficult. Luhrmann can't quite pull it off. Perhaps it was the attempt to really "glitz" things up or to use campy, El Mariachi style effects, but regardless of effort, R&J falls short. DiCaprio is terrible. This is perhaps his worst performance up to this film; however, Luhrmann did well in casting him in this film, because he, like Danes, works well as naive, star-crossed lovers. It's just that he's not made for Shakespearean lines. There are certainly some high points to the movie. Clair Danes actually performs fairly well, and she's cute as a button (which is how one should envision the 14-year old Juliet). John Leguizamo certainly becomes an ominous character of danger playing Tybalt's role. R&J may be worth renting, but I think you should really consider whether or not it's worth adding to your collection.
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