Rating: 
Summary: If I Were Shakespeare....
Review: Far from turning over in my grave upon the release of these modern works, I would be absolutely ecstatic to see leading edge filmmakers give new life and modern art treatment to my work. In the past few years I have been stunned by the fantastic work being done by our top filmmaking talent using Shakespeare's underlying work. Put Luhrmann in with that group with his version of "Romeo and Juliet," which is set in a turbulent, modern, violent world saturated by media influences. He doesn't deviate from the actual text of the play itself so the star crossed lovers' tale of a couple kept apart by their feuding families remains true to its core. DiCaprio and Danes perform superbly. Until "Titanic," DiCaprio was not that well known and many of us were able to enjoy him in the edgier, chancier acting roles he took, like this one. Personally, I prefer these new, modern film versions of the plays to the same plays performed traditionally on the stage and I have seen them that way.
Rating:
Summary: Baz Luhrman Does it Best
Review: I loved this movie. I'm a big fan of Shakespeare anyway, and I usually hate remakes set in the present, because you lose the meaning, but this movie was so supremely awsome! The director, Baz Luhrman, was able to capture the spirit of the story while setting it in present day California. The way they portrayed the narrator was perfect. It was incredible how Baz was able to add even more drama, and at the same time comedy, to this wonderful Shakespearean tale. I know I've used many adjectives in this review, but this is exactly how I feel about how well this movie did justice to what it was given, the greatest love story ever written.
Rating: 
Summary: crummy quailty
Review: I love this movie and was eagerly antcapting buying this so when I saw a large department store had it on sale at a good price i bought it. I got home only to discover the disc very scratched and the movie not playable without skips every few seconds. I took it back and tried to get another one and opened it in front of the clerk only to find another one in the same condtion. Fox please make your discs better, we deserve atleast a disc without scratches when we buy a movie. I have had problems with many fox discs being this way French Conneection, CAstaway, Mash Five star collection and die hard trilogy box set. People dont let fox take advanatge of you when you get a scratched disc return it and show fox that it will cost them in the long run...
Rating:
Summary: innovative, clever, well-done
Review: Baz Luhrmann struck gold with this adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It takes place in modern-day Verona Beach (FL), the 2 families' exert their societal power by being the corporate giants instead of the social elite. Scenes are cleverly connected with TV and newspaper commentators telling what will happen next like it is 'breaking news'. The script is verbatim from the play -- not one word has been changed. The music is excellent -- most notable is a remake of Prince's "When Doves Cry" sung by an all-boys choir and "Young Hearts Run Free" with a solo by Paul Sorvino. DiCaprio and Danes look the part of young teenagers discovering true love (since Juliet was supposed to be only 14 and Romeo not that much older.) The cast is well-rounded with Paul Rudd, Paul Sorvino, and John Leguizamo. The quick MTV-like pace enhances the plot, instead of detracting from it. A winner!
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie.
Review: Ignore any bad reviews of this movie. The direction is amazing. The acting is also on par. The water imagery is simply stunning. One of the best modern adaptations of any Shakepeare film. This is not just a teen movie. This movie takes risks and triumphs.
Rating:
Summary: You'll either love Baz'z version or hate it.
Review: This was an amazing version of R&J not all the acting is strong but the visuals and the atmosphere really make this a stunning adaptation of the classic.
As with most Baz films it is the first 20-30 minutes that will make or break this film for you. If you can stand the fast paced in your face, loud and different take on Shakespeare I think you will really like the inventivness of this film. This not classic Shakespeare by any strech of the mind! For one thing Mercutio is a gay/female impersonator far from the orginal characterization. But he is actually one of my favorite people in this film.
I will not reveal the ending but I will say Baz tweaks the classic ever-so slightly enought to make this movie completely new to me and I found myself sobbing at the end even though I knew the outcome.
Truly if liked both Moulin Rouge and Strictly Ballroom you will probably enjoy this film.
I find Baz's pictures so fresh even when using an established theme or subject. I have yet to be disapointed and I look forward to his next project!
Rating:
Summary: one or two spoilers...but it's ok.
Review: It would be a lot easier to understand if you read the play in it's original text first. The Bad-There are times when the actors seem to have troubles with their lines. Which, is understandable because the scene is modern day Verona with Shakesperean launguage. The Capulet Boys were odd (Tybalt and crew). They were mexican or something...I have nothing against mexicans, but why were they in Verona? I honestly didn't see too many horrible faults in this movie though. The Good-Where do I start? The swords updated to guns was a nice touch (example-Rapier 8mm). The ending was a little different from the book. Generally, it was the same, there was only a slight difference. But I liked this ending a lot more. Leonardo DiCaprio was spectacular throughout the film. Mercuitio was also amazing. But the one change I thought was both bizarre and cool, was when Romeo took the ecstacy from Mercuitio and semi-freaked ar the Capulet party. The Ugly-The Capulet boys clothes. What the hell was that? But overall a great movie with a great soundtrack.
Rating:
Summary: I Loved This Movie
Review: I have to admit that I wasn't a huge fan of Leonardo DiCaprio prior to seeing this film. I did, however, enjoy his performances in a number of films (pre-Titanic)--What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, This Boy's Life, Basketball Diaries are the best examples. Still, I find it strange that many reviewers find it essential in their reviews to say that they can't stand him and then, as if damning by faint praise, go on to praise his work here. For me this was a great introduction to an actor who might just continue to surprise people for years to come. That said, I found this film the perfect antidote to a lot of "heavier-than-thou" Shakespearean films that I've seen in years past in which nearly everyone speaks in some sort of high fallutin' toney Brit accent to accentuate every Shakespearean phrase until all the blood has gone out of it. Listening to Shakespeare spoken in California Valley speak was a real treat. The visuals were spectacular as well as the music and how Luhrman pulled the whole darn thing together into a fabulous better-than-MTV video. I can easily see why English teachers have found this to be indispensable in some classes when they want to reach kids who find the usual Shakespearean efforts to be flying beyond their interest. As for the actors, I enjoyed each and every one enormously. Claire Danes was a wonderful Juliet. John Leguizamo, a scary Tybalt. Harold Perineau, a spirited and exciting Mercutio. And on and on. I highly recommend this film to anyone who isn't hidebound to the usual Shakespearean elocution and who has an adventurous spirit and an open mind.
Rating:
Summary: Thou Shalt be confused
Review: How would you feel if you turned on the nightly news and found everybody talking shakesperian? How about if The President was at the State of the Union adress and started talking like Romeo? If you said you would love it, then this movie just might be right for you. Taking Place in an Parallel Universe where everybody talks shakesperian (I think) this movie tells the tale of the Montagues and the Capulets, who have been fighting for almost 1.5 billion years from what I can tell. They shoot guns, they talk funny,and oh yeah, theres some story about 2 teens falling in love. I wont even start to go into the story. The first thing you are probably going to notice right of the bat is the incredibly strange feel of the movie when you first watch it. You start to wonder if somebody is playing a joke. No they are not, but it feels like it. Romeo and Juliet has some really good points to it, The music fits the mood nicely, the gunfights are really cool, and the camerawork is outstanding. The dialoge is so strange and silly it might bring on a fit of giggles. But the one flaw this film has is its overall feel, it just seems out of place. Oh yeah, and Tiblet is an incredibly annoying charachter, and by looking at his pointy teeth and beard you think he belongs in a vampire movie. Overall, this is a satisfactory film that is, at least worth a rental.
The Good:
Great music, gunfights, camerawork. Very silly
The Bad:
Dialoge can be distracting
And the Ugly: Tibelt is very annoying
Rating:
Summary: Visually stunning
Review: Part of the greatness of Shakespeare's plays is that they require interpretation - the actors and directors are free to portray the characters however they are inspired to. I immensely enjoy most interpretations of Shakespeare, simply because there's so much room to play with. Baz Lurhman chose to set his "Romeo & Juliet" in modern times, with a modern soundtrack, but retaining Shakespeare's "original" dialogue. I put quotes around "original" because the lines are seriously edited down and, in some places, hacked to pieces. I may have been more satisfied had They done something like Branagh did with his "Hamlet;" use the *whole* script. Ah well, c'est la vie, c'est la guerre. Luhrman makes up lost ground with the talented use of vivid colors, sweeping tracking shots, and dream-like sequences for which he's famous. Further, CiCaprio didn't make me want to gouge out my own eyes with a melon baller - usually I find him intolerable, but he did a remarkable job with Romeo. The scenes calling for angst, in particular, showcase what talent he possesses, when he wants to access it. Claire Danes does a passable job as Juliet, but I largely found her tiresome. Pete Postlethwaite was a very nice surprise as Father Laurence - it was interesting to see him as a different sort of character. Harold Perrineau was a fantastic Mercutio, bringing a wonderful spirit and energy to the role. I really recommend this movie, even though it's assuredly not for everyone; in my humblest of opinions, the aesthetics of the movie should please even the most stuffed of the stuffed shirts. Or, falling short of "pleasing," it might just make some thing "ooo, pretty" once in awhile. Shakespeare is hardly ever a waste of time, unless the performance is utterly passionless, and this interpretation definitely doesn't lack passion.
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