stancym-1 It's good that Romeo and Juliet is a play that keeps getting redone so that new generations can appreciate it. The language is truly beautiful and the story eternally compelling and addictive. However, in spite of some good actors, sets, and scenery, this one is quite disappointing. I agree with other reviewers who mention that much of the original text has been either cut or rewritten to no good purpose. There is time for lots of kissing but that means sacrificing some of the best poetry in the world. And yes, I agree it is a problem when Romeo is more beautiful than Juliet. But my biggest complaint is that Hailee Steinfeld just is not up to the task of Juliet. I already knew her lines or I would not have followed most of them. Steinfeld swallows words, rushes words, mumbles words. Poetry is spoken too fast or thrown away as if the actress doesn't fully understand what she is saying. I rate it 4 stars instead of 3 because Paul Giamatti, Lesley Manville, Natasha McElhone and Damian Lewis handle the language with aplomb and perform well. Douglas Booth as Romeo is not exceptional but handles the language better than poor Miss Steinfeld does. Also I rate it 4 because visually, the film is quite beautiful.

Dave McClain Many films, not all alike in quality, In fair cinema, where we lay our scene, From ancient story to new screen idolatry, Where repetition makes some critics mean.Shakespeare's tragic young lovers on screen oft before, for each generation and all others, in '36, '68, '96 and more.This time Hailee Steinfeld plays Juliet, With Douglas Booth, her devoted Romeo, She, an Oscar nominee for the film "True Grit". And for a handsomer man, you'd have far to go.The cast includes Natasha McElhone, The long-suffering muse on "Californication", And Damian Lewis, who starred on "Homeland", As a Congressman and a threat to our great nation.Ed Westwick as hotheaded Tybalt is perfectly cast, having played the scheming Chuck on TV's "Gossip Girl". The rest of the actors, from the first to the last, All well-cast in their roles, from countries around the world.The language they all speak is truly Shakespeare's own, With some speeches omitted or just changed. The words in the script, to Americans not unknown If you miss a few, the acting keeps you engaged.I'd be remiss in this review if I failed to mention This retelling of the story is not without invention. The settings and scenery, share a common beauty And with innocence and fragility, Juliet's a cutie.To conclude, I move on to other plays from which I dare to paraphrase. I hope to close this review on a helpful note, And maybe even give you something to quote.When deciding on a film for popcorn ingestion, To see or not to see, that is the question. You could just choose to get thee to a nunnery, But that wouldn't be nearly as much… funnery.Okay, I'm out. Let's see YOU find rhymes for question and nunnery. (Not to mention Stellan Skarsgård and Paul Giamatti, who are great as the Prince of Verona and Friar Laurence, respectively.) The earlier versions of this story are mostly very good, each in its own way, and this one definitely holds its own. If you enjoy love stories with drama, see 2013's "Romeo & Juliet". "B+"

Josephine Andersson When i saw that Douglas Booth played Romeo i thought, wow he's gonna be perfect for this roll! I'm not even a huge fan of him, i just had a feeling he would really suit the roll. Boy was i wrong. I didn't realise how weird his physical appearance would look in that sort of time and setting. He looks like a very modern man. I highly doubt that young men looked like that back then. But anyways, his Romeo felt very...boring. No personality really. Just a blank paper.I wasn't sure how i would feel about Hailee Steinfeld. I had watched the old Romeo and Juliet from the 60's only a few days earlier, so i actually liked that Hailee looked very similar to Olivia with the long dark hair going on (i'm not a fan of Claire Dane's' Juliet). Though once again, i felt like Hailee has a face that feels very modern. Olivia Hussey had a timeless look, but Hailee looks like a typical young high school girl. But she was still okay.My favourite character was actually Benvolio, whom i didn't even notice existed in the older movies. Kodi Smit-McPhee stole every scene he was in. Ed Westwick was a surprise as well. Not sure how i felt about the acting, but he looked intimidating just like the old Tybalt in the 60's version. The story was as usual, not really anything to comment about except that i liked that it was set in the right age. To sum it up, an alright movie. Not too bad but not amazing.

megan-donohoe30 Romeo and Juliet (2013)-Film Review, By Megan Donohoe Romeo and Juliet is the widely know classic tragedy play by William Shakespeare. The tragic tale of two lovers, Romeo and Juliet, who are enemies in name, torn apart by their families, The House of Montague and The House of Capulet, who are both well respected families who have carried a truculent attitude towards each other for generations. But even so Romeo and Juliet fall in love but ultimately since the very beginning, their future is in jeopardy ,with the tragic chain of events that take place throughout the play its seems that faith itself wants to teach these two young lovers a lesson they would both never forget. Julian Fellows the Oscar- winning actor and writer took Shakespeare's traditional classic tale of star-crossed lovers and adapted a 21st century version of Romeo and Juliet. Julian Fellows, who is best known for Downton Abbey, created his own adaptation of Romeo and Juliet but unfortunately he diminishes the original power that the script of Romeo and Juliet held with the amount of changes he makes to the script. He tones down the text of the Bards original form to create a more simplified version for its modern audience but in doing so he loses the emotional and narrative essence that is Romeo and Juliet. This adaptation was directed by Italian director Carlo Carlei who has a background of directing TV movies and unfortunately his version of Romeo and Juliet seems to be made for the small screen too. He is not imaginative in terms of context but he does bring a materialistic and authentic visual of the world of Romeo and Juliet as it is filmed in Verona where the tale originally takes place. There are spectacular visual shots of Verona filled with lavish costumes and sets with the rich visuals of the stunning costumes in the ballroom scene and the beautiful romantic scenery he creates in the balcony scene. Unfortunately although Carlei captures the world that is Romeo and Juliet he fails to produce the sizzling romantic and emotional atmosphere that is present in the tale. There is a presence of emptiness in scenes, a stillness that is frequent in the film. Also with his use of endless close-ups of the actors especially of Romeo who is played by Douglas Booth, who is as equally if not more pretty as Juliet played by Hailee Steinfield, become intrusive. The tale of Romeo and Juliet is suppose to make women swoon, especially over Romeo which Douglas booth will have no problem with but with the amount of shots and close-ups of him, over time it becomes quite comical. Both Hailee Steinfield and Douglas Booth look the part as the titular lovers and although they both hold a strong performance they lack the strong passionate chemistry that Romeo and Juliet hold in the play. Their chemistry is tamed which should be the complete opposite. Also with a cast of excellent and solid actors most of the adult characters outshine the lead ones. Paul Giamatti who plays the Friar Laurence gives a powerful and emotional performance. He is in a way the heart and centre of the film as he grasps the characters wide range of emotions throughout the movie. In the dramatic climatic scene in the third act Giamatti gives an emotional sensation to the scene that makes it heart breaking to watch. Also Juliets nurse played by Lesley Manville gives both a charming and heart breaking performance as Juliet's mother-like side kick. Both Manville and Giamatti almost seem to play the leads of the movie with both of their performances as they both out shine the titular leads when they are on screen with them. The rest of the cast also in performance outshine the leads with their solid acting, like Kodi Smit-Mcphee as serious minded Benevolio, Ed Westick as the reckless Tybalt, Natascha McElhone as Lady Capulet and Damien Lewis as the forceful yet unassertive Lord Capulet. The only actor that feels distant or out of place is Stellen Skarsgard, who plays the Prince of Verona with less anger but more menacing and unfeeling towards the two families when he is suppose to just want peace between them in the play. Overall Julian Fellows and Carlo Carleis adaptation of Romeo and Juliet falls flat and is the most forgetful adaptation of Romeo and Juliet in with all the other adaptations. Although there were good decisions with the casting as most actors did give terrific performances and the melodramatic soundtrack by Abel Korzeniowski was sweet to listen to and added emotion to scenes when needed the writing and the direction of the movies was weak and dull as it doesn't feel emotional or inspiring enough for a tale that is one of the most romantic and tragic tales in history.