Movie Review: Man of Steel

Man of Steel is a superhero film based off of the Superman franchise. The film is directed by Zack Snyder and produced by Christopher Nolan.

Jor-El (Russel Crowe) and his wife Lara (Ayelet Zurer) briefly celebrate the first of their son, Kal. The world of Krypton is in disarray, crumbling all around. Jor-El tells Lara to prepare a launch sequence before leaving for Krypton’s high council, urging them to start a new race of Kryptonians elsewhere. The high council argues that they can’t leave the planet, and Jor-El makes it clear that excavating resources from the planet core made it unstable. General Zod (Michael Shannon), interrupts the meeting to stage a rebellion against the council, which he deems unable to solve any problems. Jor-El escapes and acquires a codex deep within an incubation farm of Kryptonian babies and returns to Lara and Kal. They prepare the ship, but Zod pleads with them that he can institute a new Krypton with the use of the codex Jor-El acquired. They refuse, and Zod kills Jor-El in frustration. The ship is launched and Zod is arrested for high treason along with his crew. They are all sentenced to 300 cycles in the Phantom Zone, but not before Zod warns Lara that her son is not safe.

The movie flashes forward 33 years later, where we find a fishing crew en route to a burning oil rig. The crew examines the damage on the rig and assumes everyone dead, but one of the members of the crew abandoned the ship. After saving the people on the oil rig, this missing crew member sustains the rig as everyone else escapes. He falls into the water and dreams about his childhood. The man is revealed to be Kal-El, renamed as Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) by the farm family that found him. The scenes flash through various challenges he faced adapting to the world and concealing his powers as best as possible. He travels to various places and hides his identity until he comes across a research site in Northern Canada, headed by Dr. Hamilton (Richard Schiff) and Colonel Hardy (Christopher Meloni). During the excavation, they are interviewed by Lois Lane of Metropolis’s newspaper, The Daily Planet. Following Kent, they come across a vessel believed to be a Soviet submarine but is instead a Kryptonian ship. Clark activates the ship and finds a recorded conscious of his dead biological father, who tells Clark of his true origins and the plans of General Zod. Jor poses a task to Clark regarding a new hope for Kryptonians and bridging relations with the humans of Earth. Clark saves Lois from the ship’s security system and soon after starts his journey as a superhuman tasked to protect his people.

Overall, the pacing of the plot was well done. It hit its beats and had a few funny moments to break up action sequences or dramatic scenes. My only real complaint is with the ending, which I can’t really get into so I don’t spoil anything. Not that it’s bad, but it isn’t exactly good, either.

Character development here is a must. Kal-El/Clark Kent is pretty obvious, and his development is well-placed throughout the film. Lois seems to have an active role as opposed to being a damsel in distress. Clark’s parents, both biological and adoptive, each have their own rooting interests. I mean, it might go without saying, but you have to imagine what kind of person will result when both his biological and adoptive dads are both Robin Hood. Give it a second.

WHAT.

One final thing I want to cover are the themes of the movie. There are the obvious ones, like carving out your own niche in the world and how your decisions affect those around you, but there are more subtle ones that are touched on in the beginning of the movie that ultimately led to the destruction of Krypton. The reason for Krypton’s destruction was the excavating of important resources in Krypton’s core, which I thought to be some sort of allusion to the excavation of fossil fuels and the threat of climate change. Also, Zod’s accusation of the high council constantly arguing and debating, resulting in nothing getting done. I’m sure there are more than a few people that think that the US Congress seems to be two quarreling parties that argue back and forth while there are big problems that need some sort of solution. These topics couldn’t be discussed after Krypton’s destruction, it would be out of context. Is it something worth considering, or am I overthinking?

Plot: 8/10 (Struggling Clark Kent discovers his origin and is left with a choice regarding “his people”)

Characters: 8/10 (Many interesting characters)

Language: 7/10 (A few moments of vernacular that require a bit of knowledge of the Superman franchise)

Theme: 8/10 (Self-fulfillment, the burden of choice, perhaps the consequences of indecision and excavation)

Music: 7/10 (Very few licensed songs, but there are sweeping orchestrations to move the plot)

Spectacle: 8/10 (Some interesting choices, but flashy enough to satisfy most audiences)

Star Power: 8/10 (Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russel Crowe, Kevin Costner)

Who to watch with: 8/10 (Comic book/superhero fans, those who like Zack Snyder’s movies)

Post-movie thought: 6/10 (Just the ending, there could have been a bit more)

Reboot: 8/10 (Perhaps not the caliber of the first two Superman movies, it makes up for the less-than-stellar performance in Superman Returns)

Overall: 74/100

Movie Review: This Is The End

This Is The End is an apocalyptic comedy co-written and co-directed by Seth Rogen.

Jay Baruchel steps off a plane to find his friend Seth Rogen waiting for him. They plan for a day of fun that includes music, video games, and getting very high. That evening, Seth takes Jay to a housewarming party at James Franco’s house. Jay is apprehensive, knowing very few people and doesn’t take to socializing very well. At the party, they meet a slew of other celebrities including Craig Robinson, Jonah Hill, Rihanna, Emma Watson, and Michael Cera. Finding no points of conversation and generally being disliked by most everyone there, Jay momentarily leaves the party with Seth to buy a pack of cigarettes. Jay is upset at Seth, claiming that he didn’t want to go to the party in the first place and feeling completely alone there. Just before buying his stuff, a strange event takes several people into the sky and chaos ensues in downtown Hollywood Hills. Jay is a witness to all of it, while Seth only witnesses the aftermath. When they return to Franco’s party, no one else is aware of the incident, to the point of Seth believing the event is overblown. After another tremor, everyone runs outside to find Hollywood Hills set aflame and a large sinkhole opening up and swallowing most everybody.

Seth, Jay, James, Jonah, and Craig are seemingly the only survivors of the apocalyptic event. They gather what few supplies they have left in hopes to ration it until the event subsides or they are rescued. After an awkward night, they wake up to find Danny McBride, who had been in one of James Franco’s bathrooms for the duration of the party, having a nice breakfast of and generally being skeptical of last night’s events. The remainder of the movie is this group of actors trying to find out what’s going on, what happens next, and how they are going to survive.

The characters in this movie are the kind you don’t see too often in movies. All of the actors in the movie are playing caricatures of themselves, overplaying their typecasts in various roles of other movies. This idea is taken up to eleven with Emma Watson’s role, whom many would pinpoint her acting career from the Harry Potter film adaptations.

“Heeeeeerrrre’ssss Hermione!”

As for the content, it’s an interesting take on the post-apocalypse setting that many movies have been taking for the last few years. One character claims it’s Biblical, another suggests zombies, and another writes it off as a consequence of the Lakers winning. As for the rest of the comedy, it’s mostly hit-or-miss. The humor is reminiscent of movies like Hot Tub Time Machine or Pineapple Express. Such humor runs the risk of being an overly long gag, and it shows in parts of the movie, sometimes to the point of no longer being funny. If those movies were not to your liking, this movie will be very similar to that brand of humor. If you do like that particular brand of humor, then this will be an interesting one.

Plot: 8/10 (A small group of actors survive an apocalyptic event and try to make sense of it all)

Characters: 9/10 (Caricatures of the actors, exaggerating the tones they use in their other comedies)

Language: 6/10 (Lots of screaming, speculating, and swearing)

Themes: 8/10 (Apocalypse, friendship, survival, staying civil)

Music: 8/10 (Lots of party music, and the songs in the last few minutes may have you rolling in laughter)

Spectacle: 8/10 (Flashy lights, smokey atmosphere, and perhaps intentionally cheesy graphics)

Star Power: 8/10 (Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride)

Who to watch with: 8/10 (Fans of the actors, and perhaps those that like to be under the influence of various drugs, but best when viewed with a friend)

Post-movie thought: 7/10 (Enjoyable, but the overly long gags seem to drive humor into the ground before the movie picks things back up)

The End of the World as We Know It: 8/10 (plays on quite a few of the tropes, and then drives them to absurd and funny levels)

Overall: 78/100

Movie Review: The Purge

The Purge is a horror-thriller starring Ethan Hawke.

The title and a brief exposition set the movie at 2022, where the New Founders of the USA have found a way to curb the problem of crime and unemployment. As the poster and trailer suggest, one evening out of the year all criminal activity is permitted and emergency services are suspended. James Sandin (Hawke) is a security developer and successfully provided the most homes with state-of-the-art protection systems. As a result, he lives comfortably in a nice neighborhood with a very big house, of course with the very security system he sells others. As James’s wife Mary (Lena Headey) makes final preparations for dinner and a night locked-in for the Purge, she talks with neighbors and wishing them a safe night. The kids have their own activities: Zoey (Adelaide Kane) spends time with her boyfriend, whom the parents do not like because of his and Zoey’s age difference, and Charlie (Max Burkholder), an introvert that keeps to himself in a hollowed out space in his closet tinkering with a surveillance toy he made.

As the Purge commences, the parents ensure the kids that they will make it through the night like any other and explains the significance of the annual ritual. Moments later, as Charlie looks at the home’s security footage, he finds a man shouting and begging for sanctuary. Charlie debates and lets him in. James, dealing with another issue, chastises Charlie for letting a stranger into their home. The man disappears in the home and the Sandin family is greeted by masked strangers who identify the man as one of their targets for the Purge.

I’m not the first one to think that the premise of the movie is ridiculous. Some would think that the idea of venting out aggression in this way without repercussion would deter people from committing crimes any other time of the year. While some would use it to their advantage (one person on the radio admits he’ll be coming after his boss), there are several others that would rather not participate in it (The Sandin parents, who admit they don’t feel a need/want to kill anyone) that are only put in danger, moreso for the people who do not/cannot afford security systems. This also severely cripples the economy. As mentioned several times, all crime is legal. Though never addressed in the movie, looting would theoretically cause unimaginable losses for businesses, meaning they couldn’t afford to keep so many employees, leaving the “Unemployment at 1%” implausible. The writers of the movie may have failed their Criminology classes.

Furthermore, and it’s hinted to at a few points in the movie, the Purge may be a method of getting rid of the homeless, in order to make a more utopian society. I’ll just leave that as is.

Character development is lacking here in it that it focuses on the Sandin family’s circumstances, but not all are really explored. Charlie’s unusual hobbies and introverted demeanor, or how involved James is in the security systems he sells. The neighbors and Zoey’s boyfriend are given names, but everyone else can only be described by their actions in the movie.

Or in this character’s case, his Joker-esque smile.

I could have suspended my disbelief for the sake of enjoying the movie, but one line in the last few minutes of the movie prevented me from doing so. In an effort to prevent spoilers, I’ll just say the delivery of the line, or even if it was just taken out entirely, would allow me to enjoy the content.

Negativity aside, and the fact that the trailer tells you, the third act of the movie allows for a big catharsis that the audience has been wanting and hoping for. Given the context of James’s line concerning giving the public a release, the movie could be leaning on the fourth wall.

Plot: 6/10 (After the son brings in a stranger, a family worries about a potential home invasion)

Characters: 5/10 (Mostly with the family, but not fleshed out enough to keep interest in some cases)

Language: 5/10 (Nothing stands out, except for the reminder that murder is legal for 12 hours)

Theme: 8/10 (Consequence-free crime, Grey and grey morality, humanity’s acts of inhumanity)

Music: 8/10 (Very little, but the soundtrack dissonance in the very beginning warrants a good use of music)

Spectacle: 7/10 (The last half hour, for the most part)

Star Power: 5/10 (Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, and no one else I’ve heard of)

Who to watch with: 5/10 (Horror or thriller fans, but those who can’t suspend disbelief should stay home)

Post movie thought: 3/10 (Despite the mention everywhere that ALL crime is legal, only murder and forced entry are shown on screen)

No Harm Will Come To This House: 4/10 (I guess not)

Overall: 56/100

Movie Review: The Internship

The Internship is a comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.

Billy McMahon (Vaughn) and Nick Campbell (Wilson) are watch salesmen ready to close a deal on a regular customer when it is revealed to them that their boss (John Goodman) closed the company without their knowledge. Billy and Nick scramble to find jobs, having only sales as their credentials. Nick accepts a job selling mattresses with his brother in law (Will Ferrel). Billy, already struggling with a rocky relationship, comes close to bottom as she leaves and he’s left searching the internet for job openings. He eventually comes across a summer internship with Google and convinces Nick to leave his job and join him for a big opportunity.

After an embarrassing online interview at the public library, Nick and Billy manage to impress the superiors just enough to be accepted into the internship. While there, Nick comes across a Google employee Dana (Rose Byrne), with her schedule occupying all moments of her time. The internship promises one team guaranteed jobs at Google, as determined by the results of various challenges compiled by Mr. Chetty (Aasif Mandvi). Unfortunately for Nick and Billy, no one wants them in a group and they are left with outliers also not picked for a group. Billy and Nick have just about everything riding on the success of their group, and each of them have at least one flaw they have to overcome if they hope to get the jobs they need.

In terms of star power and recognizable celebrities, the obvious ones are the lead characters. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson seem to do very well together and pull off the buddy comedy very well. Most of the team are fairly unrecognizable and have brief moments of comedy, but overall are either overshadowed by Vaughn’s and Owen’s performance or riding their coattails. The two other actors that had a good performance on screen were Rose Byrne as the love interest and Aasif Mandvi, taking a break from being an analyst on The Daily Show.

Also taking a break from being all of Prince Zuko’s exposition.

A theme that was obviously present was grasping at an opportunity and the American Dream of having an enjoyable job. The young adults in the group believe they have everything riding on this job opportunity, while Billy and Nick protest that they have the rest of their lives ahead of them if it doesn’t follow through. I believe it really speaks to those in their late teens to mid 20s who are having a hard time entering the job market for one reason or another. Or perhaps those that lost their jobs and find they have little experience or opportunity to try something different. Sometimes in movies, when you need to escape from the worries of living, it presents those worries right in front of you.

Plot: 7/10 (Two middle aged men become interns at Google in hopes for a job)

Characters: 7/10 (Each distinct with a rooting interest, but ultimately relies on the protagonists)

Language: 7/10 (Some technical talk about programming, but just enough so it doesn’t alienate the non-tech-savvy)

Theme: 8/10 (Risk/reward, the competitive job market, reinventing yourself)

Music: 7/10 (a bunch, but mostly feels like a montage style soundtrack)

Spectacle: 7/10 (Nothing special, but the Google building is pretty nice to look at)

Star Power: 6/10 (Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Rose Byrne, Aasif Mandvi)

Who to watch with: 6/10 (Directed at a young adult audience)

Post movie thought: 6/10 (Fun, but could have been just as good if they cut a few minutes)

Nerd culture: 7/10 (Here in full force, but at some moments to the point of absurdity)

Overall: 68/100

Movie Review: The Hangover Part III

The Hangover Part III is the third and assumed final movie of the franchise. The film is written and directed by Todd Phillips.

The film opens on Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong) breaking out of a Bangkok prison. He ends up running through an absurdly spacious sewer and eventually gets pushed out of an opening by a rush of water. Meanwhile, Alan (Zach Galifianakis) is driving home after having just purchased a giraffe. Everything seen in the trailers and TV spots regarding the giraffe is pretty much played out with predictable results. Alan’s dad is reasonably furious and, after chastising Alan for his actions, promptly dies of a heart attack. During the funeral, Alan botches his participation in sending his father off, despite singing an angelic version of Ave Maria.

Alan found his new default photo.

Following the funeral, Alan’s brother in law Doug (Justin Bartha) insists that Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Stu (Ed Helms) attend an intervention for Alan so he can get back on his medication. The Wolfpack get together once again to check Alan into a rehab facility when they are derailed by a drug lord by the name of Marshall (John Goodman). Marshall is desperate to find Chow and the load of gold that Chow stole from him. Marshall and his crew, which includes black Doug from the first movie, take Doug as a hostage while the rest of the guys find Chow and the load of gold bricks.

Through Alan, the Wolfpack eventually get a hold of Chow in Tijuana, though Chow is suspiciously aware of what they want.

Don’t look conspicuous.

This film takes a bold diversion from the previous two movies. The film doesn’t open with a wedding celebration of any kind. There was no drug-induced “what happened last night?” moment. What it does have is a collection of botched burglaries and break-ins, making it more a dark action thriller than a crude humor comedy. Make of that what you will.

Fortunately, the movie does bring back a few characters mentioned but absent from the previous movie, such as black Doug and Jade. In my opinion, it brings full circle what was hand-waved to advance the plot of the second movie. A lot can happen in four years that was never addressed before, like what became of Jade and the baby.

The big thing here is character development. As I mentioned in the Hangover Part II review, Alan went from awkward and inept to an entitled inept jerk. Here, he’s still an entitled jerk, but he gets more confidence in who he is and what should be proper influences in his life. Chow is another character that gets the majority of development. He gains some sort of backstory as well as this great knowledge of breaking and entering. This is leaps and bounds a more interesting character than a coke-fiend.

“I will make you hurt.”

Plot: 6/10 (The Wolfpack has to find Chow and a stash of gold)

Characters: 6/10 (Enough development to be interesting, but not enough)

Language: 6/10 (Nothing that particularly stuck out)

Theme: 6/10 (Influences and consequences)

Music: 7/10 (“Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails sticks out, as well as bits of songs from the previous films)

Spectacle: 6/10 (All of the big moments are in the trailers, so nothing will be that surprising)

Star Power: 7/10 (Several returning cast members as well as John Goodman and Melissa McCarthy)

Who to watch with: 7/10 (Definitely a Bro-movie or someone with a twisted sense of humor)

Post movie thought: 5/10 (It did away with a lot of stuff wrong with part 2, but didn’t replace it with enough)

The End: 8/10 (The funniest part of the movie actually occurs during the credits, stick around for it)

Overall: 64/100

Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek Into Darkness is the sequel to the 2009 film Star Trek. Both are directed by J.J. Abrams.

A mission to survey a primitive civilization leads to near-death experiences for Capt. James Kirk (Chris Pine) and Dr. Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban) as they run from angry planet inhabitants as well as Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) as he attempts to negate a supervolcano eruption on the planet. To save Spock, Kirk breaks the Prime Directive and exposes his ship to the primitive civilization, drawing concern from Spock as to the repercussions of that action.

A short time after, back on Earth, a couple with a very sick daughter is approached by a gentleman (Benedict Cumberbatch) with a promise to cure the daughter’s disease in exchange for a task. The task, unbeknownst to the person performing it, blows up an intelligence organization.

While this happens, Kirk and Spock are called into Admiral Pike’s (Bruce Greenwood) to address an inconsistency with reports filed by Spock and Kirk. Kirk is demoted to for breaking Prime Directive and Spock is assigned to another ship. During an emergency meeting following the explosion of the intelligence organization, the gentleman who organized the attack is identified as John Harrison. Harrison ambushes the Starfleet officials in the meeting, killing several of them. After much insistence, Kirk receives orders to find and kill Harrison. The mission that follows warps the moral compass, tests the emotions of the Enterprise crew, and challenges Kirk’s abilities as a leader.

Character development is rather easy in this movie, being a sequel. Captain Kirk is still arrogant and uses happenstance outcomes to justify his behaviors against protocol. Spock, on the other hand, is a fantastic foil to Kirk, being more of a moral compass and a very by-the-book follower of the rules. The new character, John Harrison, is characterized immediately as somewhat charismatic and powerful.

I’m sure J.J. Abrams went to great lengths to make sure this movie would cater to a great deal of audiences, but with that generally leaves a movie with one or two scenes that aren’t essential to the plot but are put in anyways. Let me ask you, why would you want to keep in an unnecessary scene for a movie?

Oh.

Themes are frequent and not very subtle. Within 20 minutes, there is a terrorist attack and there is a declaration to take him out by any means necessary. If the moviegoer isn’t sure about the overarching theme of the movie after a few reminders about what the bad guy is doing, a post-movie message removes any doubt that the film is an allegory for the War on Terror. Aside from that, the film also goes into the dark (no pun intended) moral areas that Kirk (and at times, Spock) has to address. This is especially important for Capt. Kirk, since he avoided the important moral dilemma of the Kobayashi Maru in the first movie. This time around, though, the dilemma is not a simulation, there is no system to cheat, and the stakes are much higher and more personal.

Plot: 8/10 (Capt. Kirk and crew hunt down a terrorist)

Characters: 8/10 (Not much since it’s a sequel, but the new characters get rooting interests and defined objectives)

Language: 8/10 (Alien speech and space travel terms that many are familiar with at this point)

Themes: 8/10 (Terrorism, ethical and moral dilemma, more terrorism)

Music: 6/10 (Great sweeping orchestrations, but the sounds of laser blasts and explosions make it so you can’t hear it)

Spectacle: 7/10 (Stylish, but the lens flares are still annoying)

Star Power: 9/10 (Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, and many others from the previous movie)

Who to watch with: 8/10 (Broad net for fans of the franchise as well as general moviegoers)

Post-movie thought: 6/10 (We get it, terrorism!)

Source material: 9/10 (Fans of the franchise might appreciate when SPOILERS AVERTED)

Overall: 77/100

Movie Review: The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is a movie adaptation of a book with the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The film is directed by Baz Luhrmann.

On a snowy day in a sanitarium, one Nick Caraway (Tobey Maguire) recounts his experiences in New York: the Stock Exchange boom of the early 20s, the backlash of Prohibition, and his experiences with his friend Jay Gatsby (Leo DiCaprio). Greatly distressed by talking about the events, his psychiatrist insists Caraway write them down instead, harkening back to a time when he was a hopeful writer. Nick recounts his time as a bond salesman and moving to a modest home in West Egg, next to a towering mansion belonging to Gatsby. After visiting his cousin Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan) and her husband Tom (Joel Edgerton), Nick is invited to a romp by Tom and a handful of his friends, including Tom’s mistress Myrtle (Isla Fisher). Some time after, Nick is personally invited to a party hosted by Jay Gatsby. He learns he is the only person invited to this party, as others just show up and enjoy in the singing, dancing, and drinking. Through a mutual acquaintance named Jordan (Elizabeth Debicki), Nick learns that Gatsby and Daisy were once in love and Gatsby wants to be reunited with her. Nick arranges a meeting for them, suddenly involved in so many people’s lives and forced to keep secrets.

There are a lot of characters to follow in the movie, some moreso than others. Aside from Gatsby, the Buchanans, and Nick Caraway, significant characters include Jordan Baker, Myrtle Wilson, and her husband George. Jordan is a friend of Daisy’s, a partygoer for Gatsby, and Nick’s girlfriend (though this isn’t as apparent in the film). George Wilson is Tom’s mechanic that lives in the interim between West Egg and New York. George’s wife, Myrtle, is in a complacent marriage with George and is a mistress to Tom to make her life a little more lively. All of these characters, major and minor, have some rooting interest in them, though not all in a good way.

Baz Luhrmann put the most effort into the setting and design of the movie; a flashy, over-the-top depiction of the Roaring 20s. The other most significant element are the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, on an old billboard near the Wilsons’ home and garage.

The image is largely reminiscent of the original book’s cover and easily recognizable.

Bonus points for sneaking images of nude women past all of your high school teachers’ noses.

My final point is the music. On one end, it’s incredibly anachronistic. Rap/R&B plays in several scenes and others play a more understandable jazz tune. The song that stands out the most (it’s played on at least 3 different scenes in the movie) is Lana Del Ray’s “Young and Beautiful,” framing the relationship between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. The soothing tune paired with the melancholic lyrics make it an interesting complement to the tone and theme of The Great Gatsby.

Plot: 8/10 (Nick Caraway recounts his experiences with millionaire Jay Gatsby)

Characters: 8/10 (Distinct though not necessarily likable characters, with one or two exceptions)

Language: 7/10 (Each tried to find their own voice to resonate with the 20s, with varying degrees of success)

Theme: 10/10 (Deconstructing the American Dream, Love, Friendship, and Keeping secrets)

Music: 8/10 (The anachronism is played with, but “Young and Beautiful” hit it spot on, I believe)

Spectacle: 10/10 (Lavish design, bright colors, and exceptional outfits)

Star Power: 9/10 (Leo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carrey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton)

Who to watch with: 8/10 (Fans of the book may be on the fence, but fans of Lurhmann will enjoy it)

Post movie thought: 9/10 (The more I think about it, is it a story about Gatsby…or Caraway?)

Source material: 7/10 (There was a lot to cover, and some parts were moved or cut, which made it less than spectacular)

Overall: 84/100