The student news site of Hawthorne High School.

The Clarion

The student news site of Hawthorne High School.

The Clarion

The student news site of Hawthorne High School.

The Clarion

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5 Stars for the Modern Take on an American Classic: The Great Gatsby

The much anticipated 2013 film version of The Great Gatsby, which is based on the classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was released May 10, 2013, and it did not disappoint. I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars.

The Great Gatsby is about a Midwestern war veteran, Jay Gatsby, who moves next door to his (now married) true love and tries to win her back with extravagant parties and his millionaire lifestyle.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Gatsby, the newly minted millionaire of West Egg, New York, and Carey Mulligan plays the role of Daisy Buchanan, the lost love Gatsby attempts to win back. Also a part of the cast is Tobey Maguire, who stars as Nick Carraway. The character of Carraway acts as the guide to the three parallel worlds of the 1930s: Old Money, New Money and No Money.

The 143-minute long film, directed by Baz Luhrmann, has so far made $114.4 million dollars in the box office according to Rottentomatoes.com.

The first Gatsby film was released a year after Fitzgerald’s novel was published, and no remaining copy of it exists. Gatsby has since been remade several other times, which include the dreary 1949 version, the frigid 1974 version starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, and the already forgotten 2000 television movie. The 2013 Gatsby remake is so far the best film version because it puts a modern-day spin on the classic story; yet, it did not change or leave anything out.

The current Gatsby film has received mixed reviews from movie critics and average film-goers. According to Filmschoolrejects.com, the positives of the film include: the possibility of Academy Award nominations for Production Design, Costume Design, and the performances of the cast. However, the negatives include: “invasive visual effects,” like awkward close-ups of characters’ faces, and the director’s overtly ambitious expectations for the film.

Senior Alexis Miele, who was anxiously anticipating the release of the film for months, re-read the novel before seeing the film and even went to the midnight showing of the film with a bunch of friends.

Another senior who greatly enjoyed the film was Kris Kozlowski. He felt that “the film closely stuck to the plot and details of the novel.”