Prior to watching "Romeo and Juliet", I had seen "Moulin Rouge" a few times and loved it. Luhrmann took an opera by Puccini ("La Boheme") and made a great tale of it, with music and visuals that will blow your mind. ("Rent" is also based on "La Boheme", but is trite and caters to an audience I am not a part of.) My expectations for "Romeo and Juliet" were fairly high, given my admiration of Luhrmann.
As you can guess by my 9 out of 10 rating, I was not disappointed. Luhrmann took the classic Shakespeare and super-imposed it over modern day Verona Beach. Like "Moulin Rouge" where he took modern rock songs and placed them in 1900 France, here he takes the language of Shakespeare and places it in the contemporary. Rather than simply changing the dialog to modern usage, he gave the text its due.
This works incredibly well, and makes the film so much better than regular language would. The story seems richer, more epic and most importantly timeless. And the story is the story of love, which is just that: rich, epic and timeless.
And the visuals were stunning! The colors set a mood (such as the darkness after Mercutio's death) and there was such vibrancy in the clothing. The water theme resonated well, with great effects of seeing a lover for the first time through a fish tank, the rain falling at key moments, and the film focusing on both a beach and near a swimming pool.
Luhrmann knows how to direct John Leguizamo, and I would say this is one of his two best roles (the other being "Moulin Rouge"). Harold Perrineau (Mercutio) shows great range, much more so than in other roles he's had since ("The Matrix" or TV's "Lost"). And this is probably the most un-funny Jamie Kennedy you'll ever see, which I mean in the most positive way.
Claire Danes is a delightful Juliet, giving a memorable performance (easily the peak of her career). She is physically perfect for the role, young and beautiful without being overly vulnerable or sexed-up. The only other actress I can picture capable of this kind of role is Julia Stiles, but I can't see her being as much of a fit and she would likely over-act... her Shakespeare style and Luhrmann's are not in synchronicity.
The role of Romeo, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, was perfect. Nobody could have been better. This isn't the young Leo from before or the rough and rugged Leo that appears in films later on. This is the Leo on the verge of adulthood, but still remaining tender enough to have the youthful idealism of a Romeo. As my co-viewer phrased it, he's a "babe" (in more ways than she meant). I know of no other actor who has the acting abilities of Leo, at least not in his age range. He has a long career ahead of him if he can keep up the intensity he has here (as well as in "The Departed" and "Gangs of New York"... though not as much in "The Beach").
A slight note on the music: As much as I love the Cardigans, I almost think "Lovefool" was a poor choice for this film... too poppy. But everything else was great: Butthole Surfers, Everclear, and especially One Inch Punch with the inspired "Pretty Piece of Flesh". And Garbage, a vastly under-appreciated band, with one of their better tunes, "#1 Crush". A great album for a great film.
If you haven't seen this film, your life is not complete. I went eleven years avoiding Romeo and Juliet, but having now broken my vow, I am glad I did. This film doesn't just impress, it inspires.
