There are some spoilers here for those who've never, ever heard about this play.
Often used as a blueprint for movies through the decades, never has Shakespeare's play about the true essence of love been brought to life in such spectacular, breathtaking fashion. Baz Luhrman does it again. In this case, he takes the Bard's play and transfers it to our times, our world. Yes, there has been a string of teen-movies based on classic literature recently (Clueless, Cruel Intentions, 10 Things I Hate About You, etc.), but where Luhrman goes further than everyone else is by actually taking Shakespeare's language along for the ride. And, surprisingly, it works. He knows how to pick the right lines of the play, to convey meaning understandable beyond its archaic words. And thus, when Mercutio (Romeo's best friend and the only drag queen I've ever seen in a Shakespeare) uses his dying breath to lay "a plague on both your houses", the immediate sense of foreboding makes itself powerfully known. More so, Luhrman even dares to play with these very words to add a unique sense of humour to high drama, as when a light in the Capulet's mansion goes on and Romeo says: "What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." But neither the occasional jest nor the almost comic-book like style of the movie's photography ever divert the attention away from the impending tragedy. The sheer force of the emotional build-up is astonishing - and serves as proof that Shakespeare's work transcends space and time.
Often used as a blueprint for movies through the decades, never has Shakespeare's play about the true essence of love been brought to life in such spectacular, breathtaking fashion. Baz Luhrman does it again. In this case, he takes the Bard's play and transfers it to our times, our world. Yes, there has been a string of teen-movies based on classic literature recently (Clueless, Cruel Intentions, 10 Things I Hate About You, etc.), but where Luhrman goes further than everyone else is by actually taking Shakespeare's language along for the ride. And, surprisingly, it works. He knows how to pick the right lines of the play, to convey meaning understandable beyond its archaic words. And thus, when Mercutio (Romeo's best friend and the only drag queen I've ever seen in a Shakespeare) uses his dying breath to lay "a plague on both your houses", the immediate sense of foreboding makes itself powerfully known. More so, Luhrman even dares to play with these very words to add a unique sense of humour to high drama, as when a light in the Capulet's mansion goes on and Romeo says: "What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." But neither the occasional jest nor the almost comic-book like style of the movie's photography ever divert the attention away from the impending tragedy. The sheer force of the emotional build-up is astonishing - and serves as proof that Shakespeare's work transcends space and time.