Good morning, old sport!
This week saw the release of Baz Lurhmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald’s legendary story of love and wealth, on DVD and Blu-Ray. I reviewed the film before when it came out in cinemas, but I’m here once again, having now read the book, and I’m here to tell you that it’s not nearly as bad as you might think.
Let’s start off with performances; its easier to watch a film before you've read the book as it makes so much easier to visualise. And firstly, everyone did a perfect job with their role. Carey Mulligan is wonderful as Daisy, even if she did irritate me at first, and Joel Edgerton makes a great performance out of a hateable character. The best performance hands down comes from Tobey Maguire. Having only seen him in the Spider-Man films, who never seems to be much of an actor. But here he proves his worth, completely separating himself from the character and stepping into the shoes of someone else, not to mention creating a fantastic on screen chemistry with Gatsby. Speaking of which, we can’t forget the main man, Mr. Leonardo Dicaprio, who is absolutely fantastic. While he was impressive in the role before reading the book, after you begin to realise how perfect he is. What also helps is the fact that Maguire and Dicaprio have been best friends since childhood, makes it easier for them to enact this believable friendship, and convince you that Nick might be the only person who truly cares for Gatsby.
After reading the novel, you realise just how faithful the film is. Apart from one chapter, it was otherwise bang on. If you’re looking a film to watch this week, pop into a shop and pick up The Great Gatsby, as it truly is a marvellous, engaging and interesting period piece from the director of Moulin Rouge, from its near perfect visuals to its totally perfect cast. Bar the soundtrack, you’ve got a great film on your hands. Oh, and if you haven’t already, read the book too. It is an amazing piece of literature.
The Great Gatsby is out on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Blu-Ray 3D now. Enjoy this sneak peak feature!