Energetic adaptation which captures the essence of the Great American Novel, even if not a slavish period piece (in case you were wondering, no, there was no hip hop in the 1920s, but there was Gershwin, and mixing the two is classic Luhrmann). The verbatim passage readings by Tobey Maguire work surprisingly well, and remind us of F Scott Fitzgerald’s literary aplomb. Solid acting from Leonardo di Caprio (Gatsby) and Carey Mulligan (Daisy). Better than expected meditation on societal shallowness, selfishness, idealism, love, loss and the creative process (though I don’t know why it had to be in 3D).
Monthly Archives: May 2013
The Great Gatsby (2013, dir. Baz Luhrmann): energetic adaptation for modern audiences, though why the 3D?
Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013, dir. JJ Abrams): JJ’s ultimately lazy take on 1982’s classic Wrath of Khan
Finally got around to seeing it in IMAX 3D: a quality sci-fi action flick, and better than JJ Abrams’ 2009 reboot. For Trekkies ** spoiler alert ** yes, this is Abrams’ take on Wrath of Khan + copious lens flare + latest gen CGI + lots of action, but minus the Shakespearean/Dickensian references and not as tightly plotted, e.g. the foreshadowing in the film only comes from throwbacks to the 1982 movie, which seems kind of lazy. Though I really don’t get all of Abrams’ secrecy around the villian’s identity prior to the film’s release. Speaking of which, Cumberbatch is characteristically good.
If Abrams repeats this performance with Star Wars 7, it will be a hit, and certainly better than the prequels, but it won’t be a great classic – constant action and lens flare plus a few zippy one-liners does not make up for a lack of soul …
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