Practically since the dawn of movie-making, Hollywood creatives have attempted a multitude of film adaptations of F. Scott Fitzgerald's beloved American novel, The Great Gatsby. In Fitzgerald's celebrated story, we find ourselves in New York City, 1925, where Nick Carraway, a young Midwesterner, moves to the fictional West Egg district, populated by New York's nouveau-riche. Next door to Carraway's new digs resides the wealthy and mysterious Jay Gatsby, well known for both his elusiveness and his weekly extravagant soirees. Carraway's introduced to a complicated cast of characters from both East Egg (the old-money quarter) and West. Love triangles, affairs, money, mistrust, longing and betrayal complete Fitzgerald's timeless tale. It's no wonder that The Great Gatsby, with all its rich fodder, has undergone five film adaptations—the earliest was a silent picture released in 1926, and the latest is a Baz Luhrmann flick starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the eponymous Gatsby. The film opened in theaters this morning at 12 A.M. EST.
Director Baz Luhrmann is famed for his fantastical, post-modern features, such as Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet (which starred a baby-faced DiCaprio at age 22). Though Luhrmann's electrifying Gatsby trailer had audiences hopeful, critics have expressed their ambivalence towards the flashy film. US News film critic Tierney Sneed said Luhrmann "gets torn between honoring the novel's literary genius and revamping it in his own gaudy style." Sneed adds that the director "would have been better off departing entirely from Fitzergald's earnestness, and let his film play out like the shiny, superficial love tragedy it so desperately wants to be." According to Sneed and other critics, Luhrmann "tries–and fails–to have it both ways."
Most can agree that the film is a visual feast, dripping in grandiose color and kitsch; and there are indeed a number of spine-tingling moments, such as Gatsby's epic reveal and the story's final car crash. However, critics report that the film fails to deliver Fitzgerald's profound meaning beneath the drama. Ultimately, the consensus is that the 2013 Gatsby has buried a timeless story in modern movie technology. Though casual audiences may certainly find the flick entertaining, critics agree that Luhrmann has effectively "auto-tuned a classic piece of literature."
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