Review: The Great Gatsby (2013)

***THIS REVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED HERE FOR THE HOLLYWOOD NEWS ON MAY 16TH, 2013***

Director: Baz Luhrmann.

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Elizabeth Debicki, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke.

Running Time: 142 minutes.

Certificate: 12A.

Synopsis: Yale graduate Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) moves next door to the mansion of a mysterious millionaire renowned for his lavish parties. Spending time in Long Island brings him closer to cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan) and her husband, Tom (Joel Edgerton), but other eyes are watching Daisy from afar.

The fictional Long Island setting of West Egg plays host to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age tale of the price of obsession. The roaring twenties are a paradoxical time of cheap alcohol and family pride, with the constant debauchery a platform for temptation. Luhrmann sure wants us to enjoy the party, but it’s only when the revelry is over that his adaptation becomes any fun.

Baz Sure Does Love His Shiny Anachronisms

The trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s Gatsby has finally arrived and it is every bit as debauched and impressive as you’d expect. But that doesn’t mean we’re exposed to a great deal of substance underneath the glitz and glamour.

Coming December 2012 in 3D which is bound to be so colourful it’ll make your eyes bleed, The Great Gatsby is another adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel of the pursuit of The American Dream. With DiCaprio the only actor I can see embodying the titular Gatsby, the December release date looks like a clever bid by Warner for some Awards recognition.

While it is yet to be seen whether Carey Mulligan will play Daisy quite as mad as Mia Farrow in Robert Redford’s 1974 version, it’s a welcome change to see Tobey Maguire head back to something a little more serious after his Spidey excursions.

With a busy Christmas release slate for DiCaprio in the form of Django Unchained and The Great Gatsby, it’s up to you to decide whether Luhrmann or Tarantino have injected more ‘cool’ into their respective projects. Jay-Z, Kanye and Jack White may pale in anachronistic comparison to the first Tarantino trailer.