Film Review: ‘The Great Gatsby’

‘The Great Gatsby’ film came out in 2013. Directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan, I recently got a chance to watch this interesting adaptation – after reading the book at school.

I’ve put together my review of ‘The Great Gatsby’, including what I thought of the film vs the book.

‘The Great Gatsby’ film analysis

On the whole, I have mixed feelings about this film. One of the main things I liked about this film was the choice of actors. All of the actors fit their characters perfectly, and there wasn’t a character that I felt was wrongly portrayed.

Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby works perfectly, and the actor who plays Tom just fits the image in my mind. I really like it when book-to-film adaptations fit with what you expect – and this is the case with this film.

I also really liked the glamour and glitz of the parties shown on screen, and I felt like the real corruption of American society was exaggerated in the film.

The crazy antics of the rich were also exaggerated on screen, and I felt like the film really projected an image of what the parties of the 1920s were like, as opposed to the book, where the reader just imagines the parties.

However, one thing I wasn’t as keen on in this film was the very odd, surreal feel of it. The whole way through, it all felt a bit disjointed.

I also didn’t like the way that minor details were changed for no apparent reason, and if you were studying this novel in school, watching the film would not help! For example, Daisy is Nick’s cousin in the film, but in the book, Nick is simply friends with Tom.

This could have been done to make Nick seem a better character- as who in their right mind would be friends with Tom- but for me, it seemed irrelevant. The film also makes Nick’s character much more likeable than the book.

‘The Great Gatsby’ – Final Thoughts

Overall, I liked the mixture of a frivolous atmosphere of parties and fun, and the deeper themes of deception, betrayal and lost love depicted in this film.

However, the surreal vibe of the film was strange, and I didn’t like the modern feel of it.

If you enjoyed ‘The Great Gatsby’, check out my review of ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s‘ by Truman Capote.

What do you think of my review of ‘The Great Gatsby’ film? Do you enjoy trying new films? Are you going to give ‘The Great Gatsby’ a go?

Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below 🙂

Happy reading x

Picture credits here