Romeo + Juliet (dir. Baz Luhrmann, 1996) - EveryFilmIWatchReview

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Baz Luhrmann has brought us a wonderful example of proper Shakespearean adaptation. Shakespeare on film has to bring something to the adaptation for it to be justified. This can mean anything from a traditional period retelling that uses the cinematic toolkit to enhance the story (in the vein of Zeffirelli's Hamlet or Kurzel's Macbeth) all the way to this, a bombastic and fundamental re-skinning of Shakespeare's iconic romance tragedy.

Disappointingly, the film conveys a general sense that no-one (save the two English Shakespearean heavyweights Pete Postlethwaite and Miriam Margolyes) has done quite enough homework on Shakespearean language. It’s a hodgepodge of different degrees of failure to master iambic pentameter, which occasionally come off as passionate but usually as lazy - typical of Hollywood. Beyond that, this truly is a stunning adaptation. It’s occasionally cheeky with its references (guns have the names of swords on them, Verona is Verona Beach Miami, Capulets and Montagues are mafia families), but why not? It’s effective, usually on the clever side of the balance and it injects life and truth into the chosen setting of the story.

The acting is all excellent, and DiCaprio and Danes have bags of chemistry; they deliver their lines with a rare degree of commitment and passion. As mentioned, Postlethwaite and Margolyes are true professionals, both playing unique takes on their characters with a grounded sense of reverence for the source. Of particular note is Harold Perrineau as Mercutio. He's extraordinarily gifted and has a way of bringing hot-bloodedness and heart to the Mercutio character that makes the pay-off of his demise deeply moving and deeply dramatic. The soundtrack is bonkers: Radiohead one second, Des'ree the next. But it accurately reflects the cultural minestrone that is a Miami-set Shakespeare from the ‘90s. Behind all of it sits Luhrmann the irreverent auteur, with a love for his source material and a disregard for the stifling ‘rules’ of Shakespearean performance. He took a big risk on this film and it paid off massively. We’re all for it. 

EveryFilmIWatch is multi-channel film review project run by Sebastian Cox, ScriptUp co-founder. Further reviews can be found on Instagram.