William Shakespeares Romeo & Julia

This movie does an excellent job of combining Shakespearian dialogue with

modern imagery. Admittedly, I first watched this movie when it came out

because of Leo; eight years later (and seven years after middle school ended), I realize just how well-done this film actually is. Luhrmann did an excellent job of making the movie believable while using the quaint language. This movie

brings new life into the words of Shakespeare, and even if you know the play

almost by heart it is refreshing to hear the words in an entirely new context, and one which makes sense. This version of Romeo and Juliet actually does add

something to the extensive history of the play. The soundtrack is excellent, the acting is appropriate (Danes and DiCaprio do a wonderful job of portraying the young lovers), and the scenery is fabulous. This film jump-started the trend of modern-day Shakespeare remakes, and I think it's the best one.

Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo and Juliet" is not your high school Shakespeare. It's a bullet-riddled opera of young love that has gone up in flames, and I loved most of it. The costumes and makeup were amazing. The settings were great, and the acting was immaculate. The only thing is that Luhrmann's style sometimes overwhelms the story. Leonardo DiCaprio brings raw teenage vulnerability to Romeo-his pain feels real, especially in the final scenes. Claire Danes starts stiff but grows into Juliet's grief with heartbreaking clarity. But the true standout is Harold Perrineau as Mercutio, stealing scenes with wild charisma and tragic depth.

I wouldnt change a thing. The acting was beautiful, the scenery, the costumes, the raw emotion. The best version of this tale yet.

It's not often that I've seen a movie three times and I can't give it a rating any higher then a 6.

I think I really tried and forced myself to like this since I can appreciate the modernization of this old story and the creativeness that was attempted.

Maybe it's unfair to say this movie is hard to follow. The dialogue is obviously a challenge for any inexperienced viewer but the story is familiar and each scene makes sense even if you're struggling to understand what each actor says. That being said, it's nothing special. Each time I finish watching this movie I just feel like it's ok. There is no gut wrenching impact it has left on me and I can probably affirmatively confirm this now after the third viewing. It's an interesting movie, a bold, perhaps unnecessary, punk-like remake that swaps swords with guns and also attempting humour. A part of movie history to say the least.

I just finished watching the movie about ten minutes ago, so it's pretty fresh in my mind. Odd. Very, very odd. Perhaps I'm biased due to the fact that I have a strong dislike for DiCaprio, but that was very odd. The costuming was--way out there somewhere. It was put together oddly. The death scene (which to me broke the show)--gosh, why not keep it the way Shakespeare had written it? There was no Paris/Romeo tryst (I suppose that would be a bit abstract with guns--yet another of the movie's downfalls), and Juliet woke up before Romeo was completely dead! I saw a very real TITANIC flash-back right about then--must he do all his death scenes the same? Mercutio was made to be MUCH too annoying in my opinion, so I felt it hard to pity Romeo when his best friend is killed. They murdered the balcony scene completely!

Maybe it's just that I'd prefer the Old English swords and parties to modernized adaptations. I wouldn't recommend it, or WEST SIDE STORY, while I'm at it.

If you like abstract and weird, go for it. But I prefer traditional Shakespeare, and I found it hard to enjoy it.