The Great Gatsby: Review

Based off the book of the same name, The Great Gatsby is about Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) and his recollection of his past, mainly the period of his life where he befriended rich bachelor Jay Gatsby, played by the extremely talented Leonardo DiCaprio. This is a very brief description of the plot, but more than I was aware walking into the film. Even by the 20 minute mark, I was still attempting to work out exactly what the film was about, as it starts off rather slow and frankly, boring. 

To be honest, the movie never truly picks up from this slow pace. It's never unbearable, and at times such as a scene where Gatsby enters a fury can be rather enjoyable, but most of the film is hugely forgettable. It's an important thing to know that Leonardo DiCaprio almost single-handedly saves the film from being a complete failure with his consistently exceptional acting, so if you are not a fan of his, I'm not sure I can recommend The Great Gatsby. 

Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio)

Now, despite all this, Gatsby is in no way a dreadful movie. There are times where the acting is rather enjoyable, and the plot thickens slightly more beyond the usual boring layer, but I personally thought that there was a lot more to dislike than like with the film. For example, I think it was a huge mistake of the producers to use music from our current generation such as Jay Z instead of something that would be more appropriate for the time of 1912 New York. If they had chosen to do so, I think the movie would have been at least slightly more enjoyable, becoming more engrossing overall.

The problem is that although there were a couple interesting scenes littered throughout the movie, I just can't see myself telling anybody: "You've got to see The Great Gatsby". I'm not sure I could even suggest you rent it at an incredibly reduced price, because the 2 hour 20 minute run-time just seems far too long for such a bland story. 

Verdict
I know that most of what I have said in this review may be controversial as many people I know agree that Gatsby is an exceedingly good movie, with a superb soundtrack. But I simply cannot agree with them, as in my opinion, The Great Gatsby is a vaguely enjoyable film but one which you will forget about mere days after viewing.  6/10

"And yet again I felt within, yet without."