Another late post for me, as I ventured to the local Davis theater (home of the Bed-sheet Sized Screens!) last thursday to see the Great Gatsby. As a huge fan of the book (probably top 5 for me) but a mixed fan of Baz Luhrman (Romeo+Juliet/Moulin Rogue having both highs and lows), I went into this with somewhat high hopes but not high expectations. I also tried to stay away from reviews, as I'm sure this was going to be a polarizing film.
Frist: The good parts. The cinematography and editing was outstanding, especially in the first half. The party scenes and opening shots of New York City were beautiful, and the fast pacing (much like Moulin Rogue) gave a kinetic feel that really drew you into the scenes. Nick Caraway (Toby Macguire's character for the three of you out there unfamiliar with the book) getting drunk in a crowded hotel room full of strangers is even further brought to life with the vibrant colors and quick edits. While the second have slows down considerably with the flashy editing, it still remained a sight to see.
The casting was also very well done, save for Tobes. For some reason he just doesn't seem to be invested in this role. Granted, he pretty much served as a exposition machine in the novel but I couldn't help but thinking that a younger actor like Joseph Gordon-Leavett or Andrew Garfield would have brought more to this role. Leonardo was pretty great as Jay Gatsby, almost a reverse image of his recent role in Django Unchained. I think the best person in the cast had to be Joel Edgerton. I honestly couldn't think of a better person to play the brute with the lack of compassion for others than him.
My biggest issue with the movie was the choice of music. I know and understand how they made the decision to have Jay-Z produce and use modern music was a purely artistic choice, but man it brought me out of the mood. Earlier I mentioned that the scene in the hotel was well shot, but I distinctly remember there being a man on the fire escape next door playing the trumpet which was better for setting the mood than whatever rap song they chose to go with. I also believe that Beyonce's "Crazy In Love" was playing at some time which almost had me cracking up with how sorely out of place it was.
Lastly, the second half of the movie really dragged out. I understand that the plot takes a pretty big turn and focuses more on the characters than the Roaring Twenties as a whole, but they could have used some of the energy from the first half to continue drawing you in, as it was it was very drawn out and sometimes a little boring.
Overall there was a solid 45 minutes to an hour of a movie here, but for a work of fiction that had such an impact on American Literature you need to bring something new to the table to have your work stand out. The first act brought that with the fast editing and great casting choices, but the drag of a second half and poor choice of music keeps this from being a new-age classic.
Grade: B-
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