So I read The Great Gatsby in high school, but I remember almost nothing about it. I know I wasn’t impressed at the time, but I’ve heard enough positive takes on the book that I sorta think maybe I should read it as an adult and see how it looks through older eyes.

At any rate, though, this isn’t the novel, it’s a Baz Luhrmann movie. For all I know, maybe it’s like 100% faithful to the book, but the number of Jay-Z musical numbers make me suspect otherwise. Because really, this is Baz Luhrmann’s Gatsby. If you had no idea who had made it, two minutes in, you’d be like “This is Baz Luhrmann, right?” And another two minutes later, you’d be like “oh, yeah, no question, it’s Baz.”

It’s bright. It’s colorful. It’s hyper-kinetic. It’s dashingly modern even while being unmistakably a period piece. It does these long shots of fake landscapes that make them look like they’re practical shots with models (maybe they are, even, but I suspect they’re CG aiming at replicating that look). It has characters that are larger than life, and dramatic scenes that are larger yet.

If you like the over-the-top Luhrmann aesthetic, this is a fine example of it. It’s certainly visually arresting, and while the plot is somewhat predictable (maybe because I still remember the book more than I’m aware of consciously), it moves along quickly enough that you don’t get bored waiting for the beats you’re expecting.

About the only thing that makes me sad is I now see there’s a 4K Blu-ray disc of this, and I saw it in 1080p on HBOMAX, and oh man, this one is such a visual movie, it would really really really benefit from being seen on disc. Lightly recommended, but definitely watch that version.