leethomas-11621 This and the '68 adaptation are so different they don't really compete with each other. Luhrmann is a genius. This version still stands as completely contemporary. The director makes the two kids wholly believable and alive. I liked the change he made to the death scene ending. DiCaprio stands out as ever. (viewed 4/17)

said-buet10 I've never seen a movie like this and probably will never see one again. This whole thing is flashy and colorful and poetic at the same time. It's a very interesting take on perhaps the most famous love stories of all time.The acting in super good. Leo and Claire were young but their acting were very very good. Some of the supporting actors were too awesome to forget.The director did something unique with this story. Its brave and new and in the end gave us a movie which the audience will probably never forget watching. The way he merged modern time with this classic story is weird yet interesting.This is crazy and fun at the same time. Most of the viewers knows what is going to happen still will sit through this just because its very entertaining to watch.

Eric Stevenson This was actually a pretty early attempt to modernize the classic "Romeo And Juliet" story by placing it in modern times. I admit that some of the movie does come off as being off key. It's kind of weird to see a version of RAJ that begins with gunfire and explosions, but don't worry. The film gets much better later. Anyway, it's really fascinating to see how 90s this movie is. I mean, it pretty much envisions everything that made the 90s what it was and seeing as how it's an update of a classic story, that makes sense. For the most part, it's certainly good.The original dialogue is kept, but there is one big change near the end. Juliet actually briefly awakes and witnesses Romeo die. It's not that important, but it's still interesting to see something different with such a popular story. We're even told that the families have a rivalry that's implied to go back to the times of when the original story takes place. It even begins by showing us what happens at the very end. Seeing as how everyone knows how it ends, it's a very clever way of setting it up and it makes for a good movie. ***

tamminenamanda Movie review: Romeo + JulietRomeo + Juliet is a romantic drama film from 1996. The movie is a modernization and adaption of William Shakespeare's famous play Romeo and Juliet. The movie retained the original dialogue from Shakespeare's play. The film is directed by Baz Luhrmann and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes as Romeo and Juliet. The film can be best described as a tragic love story, the most famous one of all.The movie takes place in Verona Beach. Romeo and Juliet are entangled in a lifelong feud between their families, the Capulets and the Montagues. They instantly fall in love when Romeo crashes a party the Capulets are having. The pair is soon married in hopes the marriage will ease the tension between the archenemy families. Juliet's parents try to marry their daughter off to another man, but Juliet loves Romeo. Juliet plans to run away with him, but the plan goes horribly wrong.The story of these star crossed lovers is known to all. I think the movie did a good job at bringing it to the modern era. Some details have been changed from the original story to modernize it, like for example swords have been replaced with guns. I think the changes were a good decision. They make the story more believable and relatable for today's people.In my opinion the cast of Romeo + Juliet was well chosen and they did the world-famous characters justice. I also like the soundtrack of the movie because it's so dramatic yet modern in a way and thereby suits the movie and its storyline. It would be very bizarre if this particular movie's soundtrack were any less emotional and powerful. I think keeping the original dialogue worked well. What I don't like about the film is that it's sometimes a bit confusing and disorderly, and I'm also not particularly fond of the character of Juliet's mother. I didn't think she really fit into the film.All in all the movie is very good and I think it did Shakespeare's original play justice. I would recommend it to pretty much everyone. I give Romeo + Juliet 4 stars out of a possible 5.