First Take: The Great Gatsby 3D- A very classy adaptation of a very classy book

SYPNOSIS:

A writer and wall street trader, Nick, finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbour, Jay Gatsby.

I loved the original F. Scott Fitzgerald book, it’s a literary classic for a very good reason as it depicts America at the heart of its 1920s depression. It’s been adapted many times over the years, but unfortunately Baz Luhrmann’s remake has failed to live up to my expectations for a film of this calibre.

My main issue with it is the pacing- it felt rushed at points, and with a book like Gatsby, it is impossible to rush a plot like that just to get to the next big setpiece- however, said setpieces are what Luhrmann does best, as he juggles the story of Nick with the spectacles of Gatsby’s parties very well. The script from Luhrmann and frequent collaborator Craig Pearce is very much faithful to the book, with no major issues to report, and it is shot very well by Simon Duggan- but it is clearly made for a 2D presentation rather than the premium format that is a 3D screening. The score comes from Craig Armstrong, and, well, I have no issues here, the soundtrack to a Luhrmann film never disappoints.

Performance wise though, there is some great work from Tobey Maguire, Isla Fisher, Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke, an incredible debut for Elizabeth Debicki alongside a fine performance from Carey Mulligan, but as everyone expected, Leonardo DiCaprio is perfect for the role of Gatsby. He just manages to exude that high class quality within the character in a way that makes him stand out from the crowd, arguably creating one of his finest roles since Titanic. I mentioned the 3D conversion briefly earlier, it’s a decent attempt at creating a more immersive film (especially during the party sequences), but it just isn’t effective- it works better without the added effects.

THE VERDICT

It isn’t Luhrmann’s finest work, but for many, this is a neat introduction into the stylings of one of the most bold and daring directors working today- and while it does skim over some aspects of the source material, it does a faithful enough job in bringing Gatsby to the screen for a more contemporary audience.

Rating: 3/5