Romeo + Juliet

Romeo + Juliet is a very good film but it takes a tremendous amount of getting used to. I'll start off by saying I am a Shakespeare fan but I'm not going to say I'm a Shakespeare purist, so I'm okay with director Baz Luhrmann (I did not make up that name) updating the setting to modern-day. I realize that most people probably won't watch any Shakespeare unless some changes like that are made and I'm okay with that.

But Luhrmann does far more than just change the setting; he creates an entire atmosphere and visual style that is completely his own. I've never seen any other films by this director but I can tell you just from watching this that he's talented.


That having been said, the beginning to this film is awful. The first ten minutes you really get the impression that you're watching a movie trailer rather than an actual movie. Everything's jumpy, words appear on-screen to show you who the characters are, and the Capulets and the Montagues overact to a point where it's obnoxious. But this movie--despite its updated setting--keeps all the original dialogue including words like "sword" which is apparently a gun manufacturer now and "longsword" which is a shotgun. I dare you not to laugh when that's first introduced.

Like I said, this movie takes some getting used to. The beginning was very bad. The character of Benvolio (the peace-maker) was just about ruined when he was one of the first to draw his gun and just the whole opening sequence is a mess. And then there comes Leonardo Dicaprio as Romeo. This man is a great actor and I'd go so far as to say this is his best performance behind only The Aviator.

The chemistry between Romeo and Juliet (Claire Danes) is excellent and exactly what you'd hope for in a movie about star-cross'd lovers. I read that Juliet was initially supposed to be Natalie Portman but she was cut from the film because the age difference made it look like Dicaprio was molesting her. Nevertheless Claire Danes does a great job.

The most appealing thing about this movie other than the chemistry between the two leads would have to be the visual style. I'm not so sure I can explain it, but there's lots of flashy lights and colors and great cinematography. It's not annoying like a Joel Schumacher Batman movie, either; it really works. And I love how emotional this movie is, due to both the directing and the acting from people like Dicaprio. Luhrmann makes brilliant use of music, specifically a remix of "Talk Show Host" by Radiohead which perfectly compliments Dicaprio's character's melancholy.

Definitely see this movie and don't turn it off in the beginning because you might want to. But give it a chance. It's an extremely emotionally-involving version of Shakespeare and certainly keeps the tone while doing something completely unique.