The Great Gatsby Summary (from IMDb): A Midwestern war veteran finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbor. Book Review: I never wrote a review for the book since I read it years ago for English class.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Mini Movie Review:
I have never been the biggest fan of The Great Gatsby, but I did really want to see this movie. I thought Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby was such a perfect choice and it is probably the only reason I watched it. He was a brilliant Gatsby and I was very pleased with most of the acting by the entire cast overall.
My biggest problem with the movie was the music. It was all modern, which I felt totally clashed with what my brain wanted the scenes to sound like. I mean, I’m looking at trumpets and pianos and hearing modern club mix type of stuff. It aggravated me so much. I think it probably made the film a little more modern and relatable for youth who might have felt disconnected from the story, but it just completely alienated me. Also, the sounds of the vehicles bothered me for the same reason.
While I enjoyed the costumes and overall look of most scenes, most scenes felt completely over the top to me. The car was too yellow, the engine was too loud, the green light was too bright, and the giant billboard was in far too many scenes. Nothing about the movie was subtle in this regard. I know the story has a lot of excess and it certainly fits the theme, but it was just too much for me. It was cartoonish. Some scenes looked altogether fake.
I would have liked the movie a lot more if it was… normal. As in…no club remix Gatsby parties and no Technicolor CGI crap in every scene. It was just too much and I felt like, besides capturing the whole essence of Gatsby’s parties, it took away from the story.
Bottom Line: If you like flashy things, you’ll probably enjoy the modernized story.
