Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

"Either I, or thou, or both must join him!"

Before Baz Luhrmann was given free-reign to put together the innovative Moulin Rouge! he earned his wings with an interpretive representation of William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet. Taking the original work of Shakespeare, he updated it with a spin towards the 20th century, and with the screenplay of Craig Pearce brought a completely current version of the tale. Gone were the sword-fights to be replaced with gun-fights, and the technologies of the new world showed themselves to be more prevalent in a story geared to appeal to a new audience.

"Two households both alike in dignity, In fair Verona where we lay our scene."

With the "new" version of the story set in Verona Beach, California, the films starts out displaying the flash that has become a trademark of Director Lurhmann. At the heart of the story is a battle between two families that has been building and carrying out into the streets for some time. Two extremely powerful families named the Montague's and the Capulet's, have hate boiling from their blood, with no pre-curser given as to why the feud has erupted, but suffice to say that any encounter of the two sides erupts in violence. It is this violent tendency that leads to the real plot of two unlikely teens crossing paths.

"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life."

Romeo, the son of one family leader, exchanged glances with the daughter of the other family leader, and immediately sparks begin to fly. Though a romance between the two sides would be forbidden by all involved, their love is not blindly bound by the rules of said feud. The teens find themselves caring about nothing but love, even as their worlds begin to cave in around them. Romeo is played by Leonardo DiCaprio in one of his break-out roles, and he does well opposite Claire Danes as Juliet. Both have a great on-screen chemistry that adds enough reality to the story to keep it moving quite smoothly.

"A glooming peace this morning with it brings. The sun for sorrow will not show his head."

Though the story is quite infamous in its ending and plot devultions, I will not go as far as blatantly revealing how this story ends. What it does do though, is breathe new life into a Shakespearean classic that needed an updated film such as this. Some might feel that this one is too flashy with its constant gun-play and overly "California" feel, but I think it does a great job of updating the vision of the story, and certainly claims its own place in the realm of cinematic re-makes that work. Loud and obtrusive at times, a second viewing makes this one appear even better than it is, and for this viewer, I found this new version to be quite good in both its original cinematography and limitless potential to be ground-breaking at the time of release. This one works just works.







Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD