Leonardo DiCaprio with Carey Mulligan in Baz
Lurhmann's The Great Gatsby. Source: Supplied
The Daily Telegraph reports
The first reviews are in and it seems leading
US critics have been dangerously underwhelmed by Baz Luhrmann's $180 million
adaptation of The Great Gatsby.
While a strict embargo was placed on reviews ahead of the hotly
anticipated film's US release on May 15, film bibles Variety and The
Hollywood Reporter released early verdicts last night, painting a picture
of a movie that is more spectacle and less substance.
"Arguably, the movie reaches its orgiastic peak 30 minutes in, with
the first full reveal of Gatsby himself (Leonardo DiCaprio), accompanied by an
explosion of fireworks and the eruption of Gershwin on the soundtrack. Where,
really, can one go from there?" said Variety's chief critic Scott
Foundas.
The Hollywood Reporter was a little warmer.
"As is inevitable with the Australian showman who's never met a
scene he didn't think could be improved by more music, costumes, extras and
camera tricks, this enormous production begins by being over-the-top and moves
on from there," veteran critic Todd McCarthy wrote. "But given the
immoderate lifestyle of the title character, this approach is not exactly
inappropriate, even it if is at sharp odds with the refined nature of the
author's prose."
Both publications singled out "lithe, long-limbed (Australian)
newcomer" Elizabeth Debicki.
"We don't see enough of Daisy's best friend, the sporty, haughty
Jordan Baker ... Debicki, who, with her towering slim build, black hair and
pool-like blue eyes resembles an elongated Zooey Deschanel, is terrific,"
said McCarthy.
Joel Edgerton also got the thumbs-up. The film opens in Australia on May
30.
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