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Visitors Review

Amusic20 2012-05-26 05:09:18

Definitely worth watching, but upsetting to Shakespearean lovers

I first fell in love with Shakespeare's story of the most well-knownstar-crossed lovers my freshman year in high school, whereupon I readthe play and acted out the part of Juliet in my Global Cultural Studiesclass. (And ever since then, I have dreamed of playing Juliet). It'shard to describe why exactly I feel this way, though it's one of (ifnot, the) my favorites. I received this 1996 version with youngDiCaprio and Danes as a present for my 15th birthday in May 2002. Sincethen, I have watched it several times, and once even in French. In myopinion, this is a wonderful life, and I was surprised by howaccurately DiCaprio and Danes played the title roles. And, just as theproducer had hoped (which he says on an interview on the DVD), havingthis play take place in modern times--in California--does help theviewers to understand Shakespeare's complex (yet beautiful) language,although now that I am in a Shakespeare class I would have understoodit anyway. However, avid Shakespeareans may be upset with the ending ofthe play (this is the spoiler): instead of having Juliet wake up atleast a couple minutes after Romeo has drunk the poisoned vial anddied, Luhrmann decides to have Juliet and Romeo see each other rightbefore his death--but unfortunately, they do not see each other in timeto stop this horrible outcome. It has a quite a different effect, ifyou think about it!! Yet, one cannot help but just love the storynonetheless, and the fact that it's American and starring actors weknow may make the film appear to us more. But whatever it is, I lovedit!

fearfuljesuit 2012-05-25 16:49:29

the best of movies, the worst of movies

Leonardo DiCaprio and Clare Danes run a tight race for the Saddest EverAttempt at Acting prize, but their competition can't ruin, and barely dims,the brilliant audacity of Baz Luhrmann's contemporary conception of thisdramatic warhorse.The genius update should be thrilling for any Shakespeare fan who's not atotal snob. The flashy hipness should be a revelation for any teen who'sbeen bored to tears in English class.John Leguezamo and Chris Rock kick serious booty.

2012-05-24 14:36:27

THE BEST !

This fabulous adaptation is worth seeing over and over again. The entire cast is marvelous, and Leonardo DiCaprio's Romeo is, in my opinion, by far the best on film, and probably will be for a long time to come. He is sweet, poetic, daring, full of boyish exuberance and carries the difficult task of doing Shakespeare in a modern setting with ease. This is truly a superb performance. I also love John Leguizamo's stylish Tybalt and Claire Danes' beautiful Juliet. The art direction is stunning, the sets, cinematography, and editing dazzling and still manage to take my breath away after many viewings. The score is also a knockout. This film is a work of art. Buy it, watch it, love it for years to come !

Tom 2012-05-24 00:48:17

This is a tragedy. And I'm not talking about the plot.

(There may be spoilers here, but not too big unless you don't have anyidea of the plot of Romeo and Juliet)I may first add that I am a huge Shakespeare fan. I usually love allproductions that have anything to do with any one of Shakespeare'splays.This cannot be Shakespeare's work.May I also add that I loved Moulin Rouge. I thought Nicole Kidman wasstunning, that though it must have been a challenge to direct, it was welldone.This cannot have been Baz Luhrmann's work.First of all, who thought of casting Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo? Heobviously, as always, can't act.Second, in the opening scene (I don't consider this to be a spoilerbecause everybody knows the general story) the two families get in a brawlat a gas station. May I add that the director overlooked the fact that ifamatch is lit and dropped in gasoline, the entire building would blow up?Butno, of course, it only catches on fire.Third, it was a mistake to "adapt" Shakespeare's words. All the linesinthe movie were in the play, but huge sections were cut out. I don't evenrecall hearing a "Oh, happy dagger."The acting reminds me of a soap opera I saw when I lived in England:Neighbors. It is the worst melodrama I had ever seen. I thought nothingcould be worse than that show. Then I saw this movie. In the openingscene,they mimic old westerns, romantic comedies, and thrillers, and fail at allthree.I must give credit, however, to the person who cast Claire Danes asJuliet. She was stunning, and fits the part perfectly. I have rarely heardaperson speak the lines as well as she did, with perfectfeeling.The sex scene (Okay, you knew it was coming, it's not a spoiler. Imean,the movie has DiCaprio in it!)was stupid. It was so predictable, yetsomehowunbelievable.I wish the acting of Leonardo DiCaprio had been better. If it had, Imight have been able to reccomend this solely for Claire Danes' excellentwork. Sadly, I cannot recommend it as he alone can scar youreyes.Also, why did Luhrmann make Romeo take a pill before the party? Andhe'ssuddenly fine after throwing up, washing his face, and seeing Juliet? I'msorry, but even marijuana lasts longer than that!Overall, I would not recommend this movie unless you want a shot atdirecting a soap opera (You could pick up a lot of tips from this movie.)This barely would deserve the 2/10 I give it if it weren't for ClaireDanes.

2012-05-20 17:14:18

IT'S GREAT!

I think it is great movie!I think Leo did a great job as Romeo!I think it would be hard to play a part in that movie.I recamend this movie for people who like to learn and like love stories.My favorite part is the part Romeo comes to the pool & they keep falling in it. END

2012-05-20 00:35:11

REMEMBER! ROMEO IS THE BAD GUY!

'house unfortunate they'd not 'derstand Romeo villanious lecher 't to destroy Capulet House 'owever. wimpish and unlikeable, cowardly, treasoness, anorectic...he seduces Juliet Capu...hey!, this is the wrong movie! Claire Danes only bright spot here...'ow bright she be, that shadow spark a man, aroma so pleasing....her supple not ending...'er e'er'thin'. Juliet.......

2012-05-18 00:20:50

it,s d best film that ever touches me..i just love it!!!

there is only one word which i can describe to the film.....fantastic!!!

2012-05-17 17:19:43

Awesome movie

This is an incredible movie. I saw Strictly Ballroom and Moulin Rouge before this movie, and once agin Baz Luhrmann blew me away. He weaves modern-day setting and attitude in to this brilliant old-age play. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes give spectacular performances. I also found it interesting how they also added some modern words with the old English. He also stayed true to the story, and added upon it. It is the basic story of two star-crossed lovers born from two rival families, the Montagues and the Capulets who take their lives on one fateful day. The only flaw is in some parts, they talk way too fast, but other than that this movie is one of the best.

Jim Longo 2012-05-14 13:47:29

Uneven film, with notable performances

"R+J", when it works, works very well. When it doesn't, it's ludicrous. Itboasts some fine performances, including that of Leonardo DiCaprio (rememberwhen we were all falling over ourselves to praise him? He hasn't changed;the material he's been offered lately is simply not up to his earlierfilms), Harold Perrineau Jr., Miriam Margolyes, Pete Postelthwaite, BrianDennehy, Paul Sorvino (okay, I'm biased in favor of those last two). ClaireDanes, for some reason, doesn't work here; like DiCaprio, she's better thanshe's usually given credit for, but the usual fire is absent here. Don'teven get me started about John Leguizamo, because he is just plainludicrous. Tybalt is supposed to be a badass, and Leguizamo cannot evenremotely carry that off. I kept wondering why Perrineau didn't just stuffhim into a locker and be done with it.The movie works best when it underplays and gives the audience a chance toenjoy finely nuanced performances. When it goes for the usualsensory-overload so prized by Fox, it resembles a bad episode of "TheA-Team" (if that isn't being redundant).

2012-05-14 02:35:19

William Shakespeare would be ashamed

This was the worst adaptation of a Shakespeare work I have ever been unfortunate enough to watch. There was no originality in updating the family feud to a fight between gangs. Have we seen West Side Story? And the fact that the final scene in the movie was changed was revolting. The reason they committed suicide was to defy fate. It's hard to do that when I expect to hear Homer Simpson say "Doh!" as Juliet wakes up to a dying Romeo. The most insulting part of the film had to be the balcony scene that took place in a pool. Where did that come from? Ugh. Not to mention the fact that for the entire movie Claire Danes displays fewer emotions than inanimate objects. Read the play or see the 1968 Zefferelli adaptation, spare yourself this teenybopper melodrama.

Audrey 2012-05-13 12:20:43

I am insulted

As a director, I am thoroughly disgusted by this movie. They're shootingeach other, yet speaking English more commonly used in the 16th century?Ummm...no. You cannot make Romeo and Juliet a contemporary film if youdon't want to change the dialogue. It seems like it would be an obviousrule, that you can't go halfway in this business, but apparently thedirector and screenwriter need to be reminded of this. With Romeo andJuliet, you either have to take the IDEA of Romeo and Juliet (West SideStory is a prime example of this) and set it in the present, or make it aperiod piece. You can't mix them. I blame everyone involved with thismovie. I blame the screenwriter for writing it, the director for makingit,the producer for actually spending money on it, and the actors forputtingtheir wallets before their brains. These people are really gonna have toredeem themselves in my book. And you wanna know the sad part? Thismovieactually made money. Lots of it. Forget those intelligent, wittylow-budget movies that make about $5.00 at the box office. Because itswrapped up with a shiny bow on it, this movie made a LOT of money, whichtome is just pathetic. I certainly wouldn't pay money to see it; in fact Ihad to force myself to watch it for free.

2012-05-12 17:25:12

A mythical Verona Beach and Rich Boys' Gang war

Here the adaptation is a modernization in a mythical city of Verona Beach in Calidornia, a city that does not exist, even if we may think of Venice next to Los Angeles. It uses the editing technique and the shooting technique of modern cinema and video clips. The prologue for instance is given three times : on TV by an anchorwoman, over real life pictures by a male overvoice emphasized by headlines in papers, and finally in text injections on black screens at high speed. The situation is changed and the brawl is transformed into a gang war betwwen two rich boys' gangs, the Montagues being some kind of punks and the Capulets some kind of Latin America mafia, with a strong set of allusions to western films, and even to Clint Eastwood's « a Man named Nobody ». Tybalt is the direct impersonification of evil with his metal teeth printed with SIN, with his image of Christ on his waistcoat that he flashes at Benvolio as an image of the death that is awaiting Benvolio, as if this picture were a mirror image of Benvolio in the process of dying. The main change though is the transformation of the Prince into the head of the police that comes from the sky in a helicopter and that has full power to keep the peace in Verona's streets. It is a vision of a society where the police is omnipresent and where the youth can only organise their pleasures and entertainments in a rebelious search for street adventure. It is in a way marvelous. Di Caprio is admirable as a romantic, naive and completely lost young man or old teenager. Mercutio is a prodigy as a black man and a drag queen, even if only for fun. He is a pretty jolly good fellow even if a grave man in a many ways. One excellent adaptation. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II and IX.

benturkalj 2012-05-08 21:58:15

The way Shakespeare should be viewed

When Baz Lurman decided to make a Shakespeare movie, he wanted torecreate the experience as it was in it's day, or in other words makeit fun again. And that's just what he achieved with this well conceiveddrama.Set in Venice beach instead of the original Venice, Italy, all of thedialog is kept with some clever referencing used to help thread some ofthe problems into the story.Using a great sense of style, the film generally moves at a thrillingpace, with sometimes bizarre use of the camera making for anexceptional visual experience. All of the acting is well abovestandard, with kudos to Leonardo Decaprio and Clare Danes, thougheveryone does a top class job.The score is also top notch, taking some of the best bands and usingthem effectively to help create the right mood. If your a purist, youmay dislike this quirky film, but if you want to see Shakespeare in anexciting portrayal, then this is well worth seeing.

2012-05-08 18:12:45

Excellent

Leonardo DiCaprio was born to play a role of Romeo.He and Claire Danes go perfect together,just as director Baz Luhrmann has said about them.Anybody who is a Leonardo DiCaprio must see this movie. END

2012-05-03 17:47:35

DAMN!

Damn this was the best movie i ever seen i can't believe it!!! i understood everything fine... i guess because i read the book in class. I almost cried several time this movie touvhed me. i loved it so much and recoomend it to everyone! you may have to read the book before you watch this to undertsnd. basically I LOVED IT TO DEATH

northwestvp 2012-05-03 04:50:53

Wow! Really! Give this one a chance!!

I'm sick of all these self-absorbed people "commenting" on movies theywouldn't have the gal, guts, brains or balls to make. Among thesecomments, I've seen this movie called "contrived", "self-important" and"forgettable". These people don't know much.Why is it that people can't watch a movie and appreciate it for whatthe writer, director and crew were trying to portray? Even if it mayhave fell short? (Which this movie DID NOT!) Baz has an amazing visualeye and a real knack for finding music that rips us down to the core. Ipersonally believe one of the most beautiful and moving scenes in thisentire film is when Romeo and Juliet first meet each other withfleeting glances through the aquarium glass, to that AMAZING song,"Kissing You" by Des'ree.And to everyone that said it wasn't original seeing guys with dyed hairand unbuttoned Hawaiian shirts running around reciting Shakespeare,well... I'm sad for you.I don't have much to say for this movie, because when this movie reallyshines, I can't come up with words, it just makes me FEEL. I'm sorryfor the people who can sit through this movie and not feel a thingbecause they're too busy thinking of reasons to hate it.See this movie and respect it as art, because none of us here made it,and none of us here could have made it any better.

2012-05-02 19:10:23

I realy like this movie!

This movie is great. My friend and I watched this movie and cried at they end. We thought it was realy sad. My friend's brother Doesn't understand Shakespear. I think the movie is great because of the words. That movie has great actors and actreses. My friend nows all the lines to it. I'm still practicing.

2012-05-02 00:28:55

Brash and True to Shakespeare

Just the whole look of this movie is great. Some people didn't like this modern take on Romeo and Juliet, but I think it was pretty good. The music and visual style was stunning, and the story was just as effective as Shakespeare intended.This movie makes me wish I was 15 and in love for the first time again.

BlueNeon-2 2012-04-30 04:35:01

Oh, come on ... it wasn't completely worthless.

Modern adaptations of Shakespeare are all the rage, of course, and they'realways a big gamble - in the attempt to communicate the "timelessness" ofShakespeare's plays, one can wind up with something all the more dated andforgettable. This is probably along those lines, but it's not withoutcharm.I seem to be one of the few not disturbed by the present-day setting. Ifthere was one thing this movie actually did very well, it was to effectivelygrasp, perhaps by accident, the emotional motif of Romeo & Juliet and placeit in the present day. The decadence and schlocky absurdity of all thescenery is actually quite consistent with the feel of theplay.Personally, I'm not sure what to make of it. Perhaps Baz Luhrmann realizedthat most of the actors under 30 didn't know what they were doing, anddecided to distract from it with his camerawork. If you want to see Romeo &Juliet, this is most certainly not the version to see - the acting isgenerally horrid and the script takes some highly questionable, er,"liberties". But it's still an interesting little effortsomehow.

2012-04-29 12:36:52

Very well done!

I totally fell in love with this movie, not to mention falling in love with Leo! My friend and I ended up kissing the screen when Leo showed up on the screen! My friend and I have a goal to meet Leonardo DiCaprio before we turn 20 years old. We are also becoming actresses so we can be in good movies like Romeo & Juliet! It made me really jelous when Claire Danes and Leo kept kissing. BUY THIS VIDEO NOW!!! END