The Great Gatsby

I don’t like the beginning. The cursory, while strangely long-winded introduction to the atmosphere of the time (full of image fade-ins and fade-outs and fragments of conversations), along with Tobey Maguire as the narrator, which didn’t please me much. At the moment that Gatsby shows up, the tempo relaxes and we get to the main plot. Personally, I made sure that I didn’t find out much before seeing the movie, because as someone who hasn’t read the book (which I now intend to get my hands on) I didn’t have a clue who Jay was. There are about as many parties in the movie as in the trailers, but most important are the very intellectual sounding dialogs or monologs about people in general. The outcome is momentous and I expect (and hope) that Fitzgerald delivered it similarly intensely. Baz Luhrmann this time didn’t really succeed in presenting the period differences between the illustrated and the contemporary (represented by modern music and references to contemporary life) and mainly failed to emphasis the social aspects of the story. All of the romance was first-class. The same as the after-effect. In terms of acting, DiCaprio is outstanding, but his co-stars put on a damn good performance too. Armstrong’s music is captivating, so I hope it’ll be in the soundtrack. Right, old sport? (05/24/2013)

The make-up and lighting make Gatsby look like a leaked Madame Tussaud model. Luhrmann's lust for the most effective imagery neuters the sketches of everyone else, making The Great Gatsby the most poorly narrated (and subjectively longest) blockbuster of the season; a good party ends without a hangover, but here you're dragged to the sidelines with a queasy stomach before its climax. (01/12/2014)

The time arc of 1922/1929 (or richer, as the flashbacks chart Gatsby's entire life) did not disappoint. That's what I call a film that I experience inwardly. A formal and dramatic orgasm. The overall production design alone is perfection (this isn't just any 1920s movie, this is the exact 1920s that I live for). ___ The flawless soundtrack has me undulating to "Young and Beautiful" (Lana del Rey), "Love is Blindness" (Jack White), and the searing "Bang Bang" (Will.i.am). (05/16/2013)

For a long time, I didn’t even want to see The Great Gatsby. I didn’t like the director who made it. I didn’t enjoy any of his films, and I didn’t expect this one to be any different. However, it was an exception. Mainly because, although no one would expect it, the creators decided to add a ton of absolutely breathtaking and beautiful digital effects to this richly decorated movie from the 1920s, which suddenly makes the film into a fairy tale. Not to mention the dance music, which in a rather strange way combines the 1920s with the present. However, this fairy tale had so much speed since the beginning that I waited for a moment when it would exhale for the last time and not breathe again. I haven’t seen such fast pace in a movie for a long time, it was almost brutal. Eventually, however, after about half an hour Leonardo Di Caprio entered the scene and fortunately everything slowed down slightly. As typical for Leo, he showed a proper performance. But that can’t salvage the film’s absurd narration, so I have no other choice than give it three stars. Still, I have to admit that this was the best Baz Luhrmann’s movie I’ve seen so far. (09/14/2014)

Two and a half stars for the soundtrack, which is not even properly used. The film itself didn’t do for me, but I will give it another chance after some time. The first time I watched it, it irritated me in a similar way as the beginning of Moulin Rouge! … But whereas Moulin Rouge got better as the story progressed, Gatsby irritated me throughout. Maybe next time. (05/17/2013)