1
I loved this movie. I thought it appealed so much to teenagers like me and I think this has been proved by the number of kids who are now so involved in Shakespeare. I agree totally with your review except I think that some of the kitsch was necessary to get the full message across to the younger generations.
--Angie
6/30/97
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2
Romeo and Juliet was not the best movie I have ever seen because it is one of the best stories in history and should not be changed. They did not use guns for weapons the way Shakespeare wrote it. He did not write the play to be changed or taken wrongly. The real story is much better than the movie. It should be rated 0.5 and that is for Claire Danes and 'Romeo.'
--Misty B
5/30/97
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3
Being a fifteen year old girl and a worshipper of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, I loved this movie. It made sense to the teenage world, and kept their attention as well. I have always loved the play, but I could never fully understand the effect that was to be portrayed. This movie really depicted and dramatized each and every scene. Even though there were some lines taken out, it affected me even more.
--Yang
5/30/97
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4
You are right on about the fish-tank scene. But it didn't end there. The way he watched her dance with the governor's son was also extremely romantic. For one moment should I have someone look at me the way Romeo stared at Juliet, I would be happy person for the rest of my life!

--Laser
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5
I guess I take issue with the criticism that this performance of Romeo and Juliet doesn't evince any emotion. I'm fascinated by the emotion they were able to get out of all the kitsch and noise and flashiness. I think they put a lot of intelligence and passion into it, and thus the emotion shone (?) through the glitz.
--Jeff D
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6
With all that glitz and glamour, exagerations of the modern society, Romeo and Juliet appeals to the young audiences of our times. Isn't that what it is all about? The youth? If after watching this new version, 14, 15, 16 year olds could feel a kind of curiosity into the world of Shakespeare, then did all this glitz and glamour and condensed emotions not acheive what Baz Lurhman wanted to do? To attract and literate young audiences? To bring themselves onto the setting of Shakespeares star-crossed lovers? Romeo and Juliet has come alive again in this production!
--Anon
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7
No way- how can any one say that Lurhman's Romeo and Juliet is 'the best thing in the world'. You have got to be joking. It poorly reflects the passion and intense relationship of the lovers and does not truly show the restrictions of the star-crossed lovers that their parents enforced. This is a poor replication of the great Romeo and Juliet and is nothing more than a teeny bopper version of Shakespeare's great play.

--"Can't Say"
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8
No way- how can any one say that Lurhman's Romeo and Juliet is 'the best thing in the world'. You have got to be joking. It poorly reflects the passion and intense relationship of the lovers and does not truly show the restrictions of the star-crossed lovers that their parents enforced. This is a poor replication of the great Romeo and Juliet and is nothing more than a teeny bopper version of Shakespeare's great play.

-- queeny
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9
Baz Luhrman's appropriation of Romeo and Juliet is an absolute masterpiece and anybody who disagrees is a brainless twit. I've been studying the film and Luhrman portrays the play's original themes of Love and hate beautifully. His imagery, especially in the first five minutes of the movie is completly amazing and the opening scene with the helicopter, I would say would come close to some of the best cinematography ever made. Anybody who didn't love this appropriation needs to see it for what it is, a modern appropriation of Shakespeare's timeless tale of two star crossed lovers seperated by feuding families.

--Ro
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