Great Gatsby Book Vs Movie

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After reading the book The Great Gatsby I decided to watch the movie for this review. Going into the film, I didn’t know what to expect; I had enjoyed the book but heard mixed reviews about the film. I decided to give it a try, because the cast seemed excellent. My feelings are mixed; here are my thoughts. Tobey Maguire, cast as Nick, was an appropriate choice. I felt his role was not very important, but it did not need to be. Although Leonardo DiCaprio would not have been my first choice for Gatsby, he did a fine job. He proved to be the strongest actor. The director did a fantastic job of bringing the lavish lifestyle of New York to life. The vivid backdrops, exhilarating soundtrack, and hyper-real crane shots create a lively atmosphere as described in the book. Gatsby’s extravagant lifestyle and extraordinary wealth is held up as a metaphor for the time period. His motive, to catch the eye of Daisy, is clearer in the movie than in the book. Carey Mulligan, playing Daisy, seemed like a good choice at first, but ultimately turned me off. Whether the overacting was intentional or not, it was starting to bother me. The exaggerated body language and voices seemed way too unnatural and forced. You could tell the director was pushing for this- he wanted the …show more content…
At certain points, it felt as though it was being directed while on LSD. I became numb to the special effects and eye-catching visuals; kind of like what I feel when watching a Michael Bay film. The movie screams at you so loud, it becomes difficult to concentrate. In fact, it becomes so loud, it becomes boring. I wish this wasn’t the case, because the movie sets up a great premise and conflict that is overshadowed. Way too much was going on. The best scenes were the scenes taking place in small rooms with nothing but