Baz Luhrmann's rendition of Romeo and Juliet includes everything Shakespeare had originally intended: hate, violence and of course, a love leading to a horrific suicide. This version combines the elements of a modern action movie, packed with action, fantastic love scenes, fiery explosions, all with an "in your face attitude" with a sassy twist and feel of an MTV music video. This passionate and heartbreaking story, where guns take the place of swords, comes to the big screen and surely to leave it's audience with more than just one tear in their eye.
The two main backdrops of the film take place on the bright and urban beach of Verona, Florida, juxtaposing perfectly to the glorious, dimly lit, and highly religious Capulet Mansion. The film creates these two worlds where the Montague's sport the blond "beach boy" look, wearing the typical Hawaiian shirts, and the Montague's model tight black leather; appearing to be apart of some high class gang while driving classy cars wearing dark sunglasses and slicking back their hair.
Right off the bat the audience is able to understand the stupidity of the feuding families in the gas station scene. The two sides foolishly test one another with their mockery and childishness. This action packed sequence makes use of only few special effects, for the real genius lies in the language. Loud explosions occur while the two families show us their inner rage toward one another with the power of their words and marvelous acting.
During this scene, time is sped up dramatically to evoke certain emotions. This "hurrying" of time, and the cartoon like movements, of Juliet's mother, as well as her speech, forces the viewers to pay close attention the slow and soft first encounter of Romeo and Juliet. This use of action allows the audience to prepare themselves for the fact that Romeo and Juliet are going to fall in love with one another in a very short period of time, making the idea of more believable and convincing to the audience.
The character of Juliet is played with just the perfect amount of innocence, purity and the inner desire to rebel against her parent's wishes. Claire Dane portrays a brilliant Juliet, balancing perfectly with the love sick Romeo.
The part of Mercutio has also been renovated by standing out the most from the rest of the characters in the play dressed in drag- his white wig, and white dress, contrasts to his dark skin. Mercutio, being Romeo's best friend, gives Romeo much advice regarding love, and possesses many voodoo-like qualities giving a "psychedelic" feeling to his personality.
During the costume party scene, the audience is sent into a dream-like and exaggerated party life filled with bright colors and elaborate costumes. The audience witnesses Romeo taking an acid-like substance, throwing his entire perception of the party out control.
Much of the film through this party is still in fast forward. The audience is sent along on this trip as though flying through a circus with Mercutio singing ridiculously on stage, as guests roar like tigers. Romeo's acid trip abruptly ends and we see his face immersed in a sink full of water, as the audience still awaits for the meeting of the two "star cross'd lovers".
As he removes the mask to his knight costume, the party life slows down dramatically and the audience feels a sudden stop as he comes down from his high. Romeo seems to take his time as the music on the dance floor slows, and he notices the lovely Juliet for the first time through the glass of a bubbling fish tank. This adorable, shy exchange of glances works beautifully and the two seem to instantaneously "click" with this ill-fated glare.
Through the eye contact and dull lighting of Dane and DiCaprio the audience is able to believe in the fact of love at first sight with the help of the slow romantic words of the music, "kissing you...". The film begins to speed up again to playful music of chimes with a romantic courtship "chase", up and down an elevator as Juliet innocently avoids the watchful eyes of mother.
Leonardo DiCaprio's role as Romeois one that would be hard to ever match. DiCaprio really does his part justice when his character first learns his beloved Juliet is dead. "I defy you starts!". DiCaprio pulls at his hair, paces in circles in his banished home of Manchua. His voice cracks as tears roll down his cheeks and dust from the desert collects on his skin as he calls to his Juliet from his knees and into the setting desert sun. His anguish, sadness and downheartednesses gives the audience a disturbed sense, and a sense Romeo is about to do something rash because he has misinterpreted the series of evens.
The brilliant ending of the "overlapping deaths" in the last scene is the moment that makes this version memorable. The long hallway of the stone Capulet tomb, lined with hundreds of candles, sets the eerie tone with Juliet's seemingly dead body rests in the center. A distraught and suicidal Romeo walks to her and every small sound echoes eerily as he approaches her un-dead body. The tomb may have been a little over the top, with a few too many candles, almost as whoever lit them was expecting more than one person to arrive. But who really cares. The audience is in too much agony, curious of how the story will end.
Dicaprio, nonetheless delivers the famous farewell speech with extreme passion, "Eyes look your last / Arms take your last embrace" creating a heart wrenching experience for the audience as Juliet begins to stir from her twenty-four hour death.
The climax, of a "love cut short" is revealed and the audience is allowed to feel frustration and anger at the tragic moment as Juliet watches her love die in her arms, where shortly after she takes her own life. A shiny pistol at her side, the echoing click of the loaded gun, and a gunshot ever to be remembered.
The story concludes in the same way it opens with a "newsflash" or "60 minutes" manner. "Never a tale of more woe, than that of Juliet and her Romeo," said by a newswoman on a tv, followed by the white snow and hiss of the television.
Shakespeare would have been impressed with the modern twist added to his famous work to know that his play was able to conform to the fast-paced times of today. Two thumbs up!