REVIEW: “The Great Gatsby” deserves roaring audiences

Beginning Friday, May 10, “The Great Gatsby” will hit theaters at last, and it is well worth the wait.

Set in 1920s New York, it’s the peak of the flapper era and everyone is looking for a good time. Mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) hosts the most lavish parties in the country, in the hope that one day his long lost love Daisy (Carey Mulligan) will come waltzing in through his expensive doors.

Narrated by Gatsby’s naïve and hopeful new neighbor, Nick (Tobey Maguire), the audience is reeled into the sticky web of lies, deceit and passion spun throughout the course of the film.

True to director Baz Luhrmann’s style, the colors and textures are vivid and a tad overwhelming.

Add the modern pulsing soundtrack to the mix, and slap on some 3D glasses, and you’re no longer just an excited fangirl in a dark movie theatre – you’re right alongside Nick Carraway, witnessing the beautiful madness of Gatsby’s world.

At first, many were skeptical about Luhrmann taking on “Gatsby” for his next project. In previous films, “Moulin Rouge” and “Romeo and Juliet,” his masterful flair for creating stunning images at times, left the story on the backburner and let artistic style soar into the spotlight.

However, in this instance, Luhrmann’s style lends the appropriate embellishment to Fitzgerald’s novel. His portrayal of the 1920s as roaring – over-exaggerated, glamorous and shallow, dangerous and carefree – is spot-on.

DiCaprio shines in the title role, and charms with suave grins and twinkling eyes. His acting is superb, and it requires no stretch of the imagination to accept him as Gatsby. While Robert Redford played a cool, poker-faced Gatsby in the 1974 version, DiCaprio gives the audience a more discernable look into what’s going on behind the mask.

“The Great Gatsby” is definitely a game-changer in the movie world. There is a very good chance that Mr. DiCaprio, will finally win his long-awaited Oscar.

In addition, the all-star cast makes Fitzgerald’s characters spring to life, giving a sense of well roundedness to all of the characters, not just the principal roles.

While ordinarily I find 3D distracting and dizzying, in this movie it works. This is an occasion that demands to be seen in all its grandeur.

So grab a friend, and head out to the movies. It’s worth your time and your dime, because the new “Gatsby” is a must-see movie that the whole world is sure to be buzzing about.