The Great Gatsby, the great American classic, has been remade into a movie for the fifth time since the book’s publishing in 1925. The film was originally was supposed to be released on Christmas of 2012 but was pushed back due to other expected high-grossing films to be out around the time. The film stars big name actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, with the lead role of Daisy being portrayed by up and coming actress Carey Mulligan.

The movie starts out a little slow but that’s to be expected because it follows the great American novel so closely. With modern day effects and computer animation, the scenery was absolutely stunning. It’s worth the extra cash to have sprung to see the movie in 3D. The acting, especially from DiCaprio, was spectacular because as in most roles he’s taken on, he actually becomes the character. Maguire was a perfect fit to his role as well because he always seems to accurately depict the awkward but charming character with the films he stars in. See the “Spider-Man” films as reference of that.

However, it may be the soundtrack that catches more attention than the movie itself. It featured all new tracks from modern day musicians such as Jay-Z, Jack White and Gotye and was unexpected considering the movie takes place in the 1920s. Futuristic music and historical inaccuracies can ruin it for fans. One would think that with big name actors and a huge filming budget, the makers of the movie would have done their research better and gotten their information correct. Even though they’re just minor details in the big picture, they can certainly annoy a dedicated viewer.

The party scenes were the best part of the movie. The director spared no expense when it came to showing how extravagant the parties were that Jay Gatsby threw every week. It was definitely the kind of gathering you wish you were at– complete with drinking, music, dancing, and wild performances.

This definitely wasn’t the type of movie you need to run out and see on the first night of its releas. It was more like the kind you see when you’ve seen everything else already and it’s a matinee showing. This movie wasn’t particularly bad but for a remake with all the modern technology and information out there, it was still possible to make the same movie with a new twist much better than this was. Fans of the book would be much more interested in the 2009 adaptation.