For the most part, director Baz Luhrmann (of STRICTLY BALLROOM fame) pulls this off, with a glorious bang. The opening five minutes are an adrenaline rush -- the prologue being read out like a "60 Minutes" segment, the characters introduced to us in freeze-frames, Reservoir Dogs-style, and a plunge into the street brawl scene which fuses elements of gangster chic, matador-dancing grace and spaghetti western spoof. It all climaxes with a gas station up in flames (shades of Natural Born Killers). This sets the tone for Luhrmann's take on Shakespeare -- irreverent, campy, and great fun.

The film effectively creates an alternate universe, where Montagues wear Hawaiia

As Romeo, Leonardo DiCaprio plays up the intensity level of the young lover a bit too much, with a tendency to shout his lines. The undeniable star of the show is Claire Danes -- her Juliet hits just the right note of innocence and intelligence, vulnerability and exceptional guts. There is brilliance here.

Banging guns and swift puns give this old time romantic tragedy new flavor and spice. Director Baz Luhrmann has transformed William Shakespeare's classic Romeo and Juliet into a modern and new aged love story.

The costumes that are worn to the Capulet ball reveal special aspects of certain personalities. Romeo is dressed as a medieval knight in shining armor, and Juliet is dressed with the wings of an angel. Paul Sorvino as Capulet played Juliet's over bearing and protective father quite well. His Caesar style robe also reflects his personality. There is also Paris, played by Paul Rudd (Clueless, 200 Cigarettes), who presents himself as an overexcitable dork at the ball in his space age, over-the-top astronaut getup.

All in all, this movie is well done. Through changing times, the traditionalism of Romeo and Juliet is not quite preserved. However, the movie is touching and surprising and deserves lots of credit although it may not be identical to the play. It allows moviegoers of all ages to enjoy Shakespeare and proves that the ideas of Shakespeare may be ancient but the love remains timeless.

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It all takes place in Verona Beach. The Capulets and Montagues are now two rival gangs, whose members sport funky tatoos and wild hairdos. Romeo drops acid and Mercutio dresses as a drag queen to the ball. This is a shocker, for any audience member. Obviously, some of the traditionalism of Shakespeare's original is lost in this movie. The changes from the original Romeo and Juliet to Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet are obviously quite different and outrageous.

Claire Danes plays an angelic Juliet. Danes expresses the emotions of Juliet clearly and at the same time, forces the audience to feel her pain as the devastating events in Juliet's life take place. When Danes plays the role of Juliet, it is easy for teenage girls of today to understand it all and relate to her.

n shirts and Capulets black leather, where advertising billboards contain Shake

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