I did not see this movie in 3D. I didn't see a point in doing so.
First and foremost, I will state outright that I wasn’t much of a fan of the book. With that having being said, I will admit that I was expecting to walk out of this movie not liking it. The reason as to why that didn’t happen has to do with the movies concept of “being within, and without”. That, and that alone made it so I walked out the movie, not knowing 100% what I think, until I let it soak in. That’s not to say I didn’t have my issues with bits and pieces of the movie, but nevertheless, when a movie makes you think after the fact, I can’t make any quick decisions with regards to a rating.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I typically know the general rating I will give a movie within the first 20 minutes. Within the first 20 minutes of this movie, I didn’t really like it. By the end of the movie, I still hadn’t figured out what numbered rating I’d give it (out of 5). It's a movie that I feel that I should be giving a higher rating, but it doesn't deserve it.
The first half (or possibly the first two-thirds) of the movie was very eccentric and highly stylized. Everything from the music, the scenery/setting/props, to the extremely over-acting was too much for my liking. Some of the visuals were good, but everything put together, not so much. I am familiar with Baz Lahrumann’s work, so I feel as if I need to take that into consideration when thinking about the overall message the movie is trying to get across and how BL chose to do that. It’s something I need to chew on for a couple of days.
The only notable actor was Leonardo DiCaprio. My friend pointed out that he did a really good job showing how much Gatsby loved Carey Mulligan’s character Daisy. There were times in which the close up’s of DiCaprio’s face took away from the character. I say this because, the close up’s allowed the viewer to see DiCaprio’s age. While reading the book I pictured someone younger than DiCaprio, so that's probably why that was an issue for me.
When it comes to Carey Mulligan herself, my friend went on to say that it was hard to see what about her he loved so much; and I couldn’t agree more. Mulligan’s acting and character falls flat, so it was hard to buy the chemistry between her and Gatsby. She didn't really show any emotion.
As for Toby McGuire, I will say that I did like his narration throughout the movie. However, my problem with him lies in pretty much everything else. I don’t think he looked the part at all. I have always thought that he was a very lull actor (in the majority of movies I’ve seen him in). Yes, the movie is called The Great Gatsby, but, Jake is the narrator. We’re seeing the story through his eyes. That’s why I liked the narration, but on screen, he was the weakest link.
There were parts in which the music worked, and other parts in which it didn’t. This movie was produced by Jay-Z, which I didn’t know – which meant I wasn’t expecting the music to gear towards that genre. Jay-Z and Beyonce isn't exactly Jazz.
May 14th update:
I just realized that I didn't mention anything about the script. To be honest, there wasn't much there. You'd think that this movie would have a great script that would captivate you; considering it was based off a Scott Fitzgerald book (of the same name). Aside from Gatsby saying "old sport" and the "within and without", I can't say there's anything else I liked.
I gave the idea of being "within and without" more thought, and I came to the conclusion that it can't be attributed to the movie; it came from the book. So even that can't save the movie. What it comes down to, is that I didn't like anything about this movie.
The movie itself, as a whole: the acting, characters, plot, the message, script, costumes, settings, music, ect, didn't come together the way the book did and the way it should have. I did say that I didn't like the book, but that doesn't mean I didn't appreciate it. There is no way that DiCaprio's acting could carry the movie.
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