The Great Gatsby had such overwhelmingly stunning visuals and a story that started out so beautifully that it hurts to see it end in such a tragedy.
We are taken into the perspective of Nick Carraway (Toby Mcguire), the narrator and cousin of leading lady, Daisy Bunchanan (Carey Mulligan), for the entirety of the movie as he enters the world of high society and in the close circle of none other than Jay Gatsby, famously played by Leonardo di Carpio.
The 2-and-a-half-hour movie will sweep you off your feet and drown you in glamorous aesthetic and all sort of societal issues most of us are familiar with. It had a great pacing, with a steady start of Nick introducing the key people in the story, to the mysterious Gatsby slowly revealing himself and making his move towards his goal with the help of Nick. The movie did such a great job at the start with Gatsby and Daisy and being thrilled with the lifestyle that they have. So, when the chaos started to happen towards the end, it was heartbreaking to see how a single mistake destroyed everything. The happy moments it had at the start made you believe it would somehow get a happy ending – only it kept getting worse, especially for Gatsby.
I have watched other reviews where they weren’t a fan of the sceneries, complaining on how obvious the green screen was and even how the acting was overreacted. In my case, while I do agree that the green screen was obvious, it wasn’t much of an issue. It had the exaggeration it needed, the dramatic slow scenes, the noisy parties and it captured how unimaginable and grand the world Gatsby built himself in. Exaggeration was needed to show how much effort Gatsby had put into getting Daisy back, and how dream-like the story Nick was sharing to his therapist. Plus, the love yearning, mystery and chaos between the characters was already a lot to take in, so the obvious green screen issue didn’t really matter. It’s not a Transformers movie after all.
Image Source: The Great Gatsby (2013) (imdb.com)
Takeaways from the film (Spoiler Alert)
It was not only a love story but also a reminder on how the world works. Also, that love does not come with easier choices either. There is the issue with choosing between love and security. The decision to risk it all for love, or to not strand too far from safety.
Image Source: The Great Gatsby (2013) (imdb.com)
Daisy made the easier and safer choice, and therefore chose the man who could offer her that.
“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy. They smashed up things and people, and then retreated back into their money and their vast carelessness.”
Nick Carraway
You can also get a glimpse of the difference between old and new money. It’s pretty obvious that Daisy’s husband, Tom, was used to that game- and that’s why he won in the end. While Gatsby, who spent years of his life working hard to reach where he was, was gone in a snap. Not even enjoying the full extend yet of his wealth and power.
Each social group has its own game, its own challenges and how to cope in it. Belonging at the top does not mean that there was no longer a need to maintain the status.
Image Source: The Great Gatsby (2013) (imdb.com)
We can say that Daisy’s husband finally woke up from his infidelity and chose to be loyal to Daisy again, or it can be about pride and reputation. A successful and well-known man like him losing his wife to another man would scar not only his image but also his ego. Daisy no longer wanted happiness or maybe not even love. It was all about having a comfortable and secure life. Gatsby’s enormous mansion, golden ballroom, and his collection of silk and linen clothes were not enough for Daisy to choose him. Not even their passionate history and his promises of loving and worshiping her forever. Gatsby should have left her alone in the first place, mainly due to the fact that it was infidelity, but also because we eventually understood that Daisy just used Gatsby to forget about her own loneliness.
The Great Gatsby shows the mess behind love even with the best intentions. And how life is such full of surprises and what a battle it is to survive in it.
“All the bright precious things fade so fast, and they don’t come back.”
Daisy buchanan
Cover image source: The Great Gatsby (2013) (imdb.com)
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