It is always hard to watch another version of a film that has been done and done again. However, I love Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet is probably my favourite of his (very close to Hamlet.) I was very excited to see this latest interpretation even though I have seen SO many different renditions. There is some bad about the film but also some very good. This particular version is rewritten and paraphrased into what I call "loose" Shakespeare. Its still poetic and melodramatic but the words are easier to understand for those not so prone to Shakespeare. This version specifically aims itself to the teen demographic. As I said in the review title, it was the sort of thing that the CW network would try to do (and even features Gossip Girl alumni Ed Westwick but more on that in a moment.) I would NEVER fault anyone for trying to bring literary classics to the modern teens of the world so if this does it for them then that's fine by me. However, it will be a little lower than what Shakespeare fans anticipate I am certain. Shakespeare is already incredibly melodramatic and Romeo and Juliet is about the most sappy you can get. So much pining and whining and violence and misdirected love. The paraphrased and re-written script makes that worse. Still some the key scenes are mostly in tact (my favourite monologue when he first sees Juliet was decently done and almost kept the same as the original.) This version is still quite enjoyable.
I, as many others did, fell in love with Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit. She was brilliant!! I also happen to think she was very good in Ender's Game. I thought she would be an amazing Juliet and she was!! She is young and innocent and pure looking and delivered her lines very well. Her intensity was well done and she was perfect for the lead for the demographic the film is aimed at. She wasn't jaw dropping but how many other Juliets have we seen and how much could she have done with it. She did well for what the role provided. Douglas Booth is our Romeo and teen girls will absolutely swoon for him. He is a pretty, pretty young man (Ebert said Romeo should not be prettier than Juliet.) I actually thought he did a solid job in the role. His chemistry with Steinfeld was good and they both did the brooding pining teenage love thing very well. Was it sappy? You bet. But they both delivered the poetic lines well. Neither were stunning but both were very entertaining in their roles. The supporting cast ranged from okay to quite good. The previously mentioned Ed Westwick is campy and over-acts in his role as Tybalt. He looks and talks very Shakespearean but man does he overplay it. I thought Kodi Smit-McPhee (another very, very talented young actor) was understated but REALLY impressive as the young Benvolio. Christian Cooke also didn't have a lot of scenes but did well as the cocky Mercutio. Lesley Manville, Damian Lewis, Stellan Skarsgård and Paul Giamatti added an excellent, much needed and very well done level of sophistication and experience to the cast. The four of them were particularly good and clearly have Shakespeare backgrounds to show off.
I would have liked to have seen a much better director than the mostly unknown Carlo Carlei do this film. That being said, some of the setting and stunning scenery is just beautiful. How brilliant of them to do some of the filming IN Verona Italy!! I think that's awesome! Sometimes you honestly have to look beyond the surface of a film. Should Shakespeare be re-written? No. Never. Were they trying to give a new and very different generation the opportunity to experience Romeo and Juliet. Yes and I am definitely okay with that. As an English major, writer and lover of Shakespeare and theatre I was still entertained. I was not floored by any means but I still enjoyed it. I'm not saying you should always give film makers free passes to butcher something but this isn't butchered...its just different and for a very specific demographic. Lighten up everyone and enjoy it for what it is. 7/10 I read some very harsh professional reviews of this film including a scathing one from the late, great Roger Ebert. Certainly
I, as many others did, fell in love with Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit. She was brilliant!! I also happen to think she was very good in Ender's Game. I thought she would be an amazing Juliet and she was!! She is young and innocent and pure looking and delivered her lines very well. Her intensity was well done and she was perfect for the lead for the demographic the film is aimed at. She wasn't jaw dropping but how many other Juliets have we seen and how much could she have done with it. She did well for what the role provided. Douglas Booth is our Romeo and teen girls will absolutely swoon for him. He is a pretty, pretty young man (Ebert said Romeo should not be prettier than Juliet.) I actually thought he did a solid job in the role. His chemistry with Steinfeld was good and they both did the brooding pining teenage love thing very well. Was it sappy? You bet. But they both delivered the poetic lines well. Neither were stunning but both were very entertaining in their roles. The supporting cast ranged from okay to quite good. The previously mentioned Ed Westwick is campy and over-acts in his role as Tybalt. He looks and talks very Shakespearean but man does he overplay it. I thought Kodi Smit-McPhee (another very, very talented young actor) was understated but REALLY impressive as the young Benvolio. Christian Cooke also didn't have a lot of scenes but did well as the cocky Mercutio. Lesley Manville, Damian Lewis, Stellan Skarsgård and Paul Giamatti added an excellent, much needed and very well done level of sophistication and experience to the cast. The four of them were particularly good and clearly have Shakespeare backgrounds to show off.
I would have liked to have seen a much better director than the mostly unknown Carlo Carlei do this film. That being said, some of the setting and stunning scenery is just beautiful. How brilliant of them to do some of the filming IN Verona Italy!! I think that's awesome! Sometimes you honestly have to look beyond the surface of a film. Should Shakespeare be re-written? No. Never. Were they trying to give a new and very different generation the opportunity to experience Romeo and Juliet. Yes and I am definitely okay with that. As an English major, writer and lover of Shakespeare and theatre I was still entertained. I was not floored by any means but I still enjoyed it. I'm not saying you should always give film makers free passes to butcher something but this isn't butchered...its just different and for a very specific demographic. Lighten up everyone and enjoy it for what it is. 7/10 I read some very harsh professional reviews of this film including a scathing one from the late, great Roger Ebert. Certainly