Film Review: THE GREAT GATSBY (2013)

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Writers: Baz Luhrmann, Craig Pearce (screenplay), F. Scott Fitzgerald (novel)
Running time: 142 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Drama/Romance
UK Release date: 16^th May 2013

Watched at the cinema on Sunday 2^nd June 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I first have to say I have never read the book and so I can only judge the film as a on its own merits. I have, however seen the 1974 version of this film starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. Fortunately it was a very long time ago and I really can’t remember too much about it other than it didn’t exactly enthral me. I will have been in my early teens when I saw it so that’s not entirely surprising. But I digress; here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

We are told the story is told through the eyes of Gatsby’ neighbour, Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire). He had gone into selling bonds having decided he didn’t really want to be a writer. He was still close to his cousin, Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan), who had married old money in the form of Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). Now Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) was a very enigmatic character and there were wild rumours about him; none of which were true of course. He threw elaborate parties to which everyone who was anyone (and some who weren’t) turned up. One day, out of the blue, Carraway is sent an invitation to one of these soirées. Of course he goes, but never having met Gatsby before; found it hard to track him down so he could thank him. Eventually Gatsby makes himself known, but there’s an ulterior motive behind the invitation; something from the past and Nick Carraway is the key to unlocking it.

A film with some great set pieces; I found the party scenes particularly spectacular. It’s beautifully shot and I’m quite glad I saw it in 2D as I couldn’t see how 3D would have enhanced it much. I found the music interesting with the big set pieces being handed over to rapper Jay-Z (also an Executive Producer), but it was the original music by Craig Armstrong that I found most enthralling. There are several well known themes subtly placed in the soundtrack and I found both refreshing and interesting. All the performances were great with DiCaprio and Mulligan getting top billing; but I thought Tobey Maguire was equally good. I guess I’ll have to read the book to be able to decide just how good an adaptation this is; but for now I found it quite a satisfying watch with plenty of drama to keep me entertained. If I was to be super critical I would have to say I found the character of Gatsby a little one-dimensional, but having said that it’s still well worth a look if you get the chance.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 7.5/10.

IMDb Score: 7.5/10 (based on 49,082 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1343092/

MetaScore: 54/100: (Based on 44 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 51/100 (based on 255 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 72/100 (based on 90,311 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_great_gatsby_2012/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Blog: http://gatsbymovie.tumblr.com/
Official Facebook (UK): https://www.facebook.com/TheGreatGatsbyUK
Official Site: http://thegreatgatsby.warnerbros.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: THE THING (2011)

Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.
Writers: Eric Heisserer, John W. Campbell Jr. (short story "Who Goes There?")
Running time: 99 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Horror/Mystery/Sci-Fi
UK Release date: 2^nd December 2011

Watched on Sky+ Monday 15^th October 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I remember with great affection John Carpenter’s 1982 classic, The Thing. For me, it’s one of the very best Sci-Fi/Horror films and when I heard they were making a prequel I was excited. It got released and was less than warmly received and so I decided to give it a miss until it turned up on TV. Since I'm writing this you can probably guess it turned up on TV. I’ll save my comments for the end; here’s a very brief summary first.

A group of Norwegian scientists discover an alien spacecraft buried under the Antarctic ice. They also discover the remains of a survivor. They bring in American scientist Kate Lloyd to aid with the investigation. The alien is dug up in a solid block of ice and taken back to their base and before long it has broken free of the ice surrounding it and has begun to wreak havoc around the base. This creature is special; it can mimic any organic being and so the crew don’t know who, or even what, they can trust. I’ll leave it there or the Spoiler Police (Antarctic Division) will be sending me to tidy up the base (again).

Pretty well made with some nice CGI taking the place of the physical effects used in the Carpenter film. The performances were all ok with nobody particularly standing out. So honourable mentions go to; Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Kate Lloyd, Joel Edgerton as Sam Carter, Ulrich Thomsen as Dr. Sander Halvorson, Eric Christian Olsen as Adam Finch, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Derek Jameson, Paul Braunstein as Griggs, Trond Espen Seim as Edvard Wolner, Kim Bubbs as Juliette and Jørgen Langhelle as Lars.

The main problem with this film is that it does nothing John Carpenter’s film didn’t do. Aside from some quite graphic CGI and a pretty good sequence inside the alien spacecraft, it had very little else to offer. It’s a shame really because I was expecting more. There is very little character development so you don’t really care who might not be human at any moment. There’s lots of action with little substance I’m afraid and so it doesn’t get my seal of approval I’m afraid. So why 5.5? Well I did like the sequence inside the spacecraft, the CGI was pretty good and I did like the way the ending tied in with the beginning of John Carpenter’s film.

SteelMonster’s verdict: NOT RECOMMENDED (Particularly if you’ve seen John Carpenter’s film ‘The Thing’ (1982))

My score: 5.5/10

IMDb Score: 6.3/10 (based on 50,502 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0905372/

MetaScore: 49/100: (Based on 31 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 36/100 (based on 158 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 43/100 ‘Liked it’ (based on 35,586 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_thing_2011/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
[first lines]
Peder: [In Norwegian] Okay, I've got another one. A good one. A man and woman are making love one night when their young boy walks in.

Adam Finch: In the three years that I have known him, this is the most excited I have ever seen him.

Sam Carter: And the last place you want to be is cooped up with a dozen of Norwegian guys.

Adam Finch: You know, I never believed in this shit.
Jonas: I always did.

Colin: You think they're gonna pay a bonus for bringing home an alien instead of core samples?

Lars: [to Matias] That's not a dog! Start the helicopter now!
[both get into helicopter]
Lars: Get it up now! Come on!

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.universalstudiosentertainment.com/thing-the-2011/
Trailer: