Second 'Great Gatsby' Trailer: The Ballsiness Of Baz Luhrmann Compels You

Great Gatsby Luhrmann

Haters will inevitably hate on Baz Luhrmann and his anachronistic, super Baz Luhrmann-y big screen version of The Great Gatsby, but if I'm being honest it had me at the first trailer's reveal of Leonardo DiCaprio's Gatsby, dripping wet, staring bewildered lust-daggers of passion at Carey Mulligan's Daisy Buchanan*. Now we've got a second full trailer full of art deco razzle dazzle and brooding glances and Frank Ocean to pore over, so just go with it and let the Bazziness of it all wash over you like the bombastic lit-pop mashup that it is.

Because, let's be real: It's been years since we've seen DiCaprio smolder as a bona fide romantic figure. After melting hearts as Jack Dawson in Titanic he spent the ensuing decade and a half running away from his teen idol past, with entirely respectable results. Now that he's a man who, to borrow from an episode of GIRLS, looks like he knows how to do things, it's a whole new ballgame for DiCaprio watchers — and a whole hell of a lot gentler a rich good-time dandy than Leo's current awards season character, Django Unchained's Calvin Candie.

So why not just give over to the madness? Jason Clarke and Joel Edgerton in the cast means there's a Zero Dark Thirty-Great Gatsby multiverse of crossover fanfic possibilities, and Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan plays Meyer Wolfsheim. I'll say that again: Amitabh freaking Bachchan plays F. Scott Fitzgerald's shady Jewish businessman from New York, which is just about as random and crazy an idea as casting Pete Postlethwaite as a drug-pushing man of the cloth, and we all know that was just pure awesome.

*You know the shot I'm talking about. BOOM:

Leonardo DiCaprio - Jay Gatsby

[via Apple]

The Great Gatsby hits theaters May 10, 2013.

PREVIOUSLY:

The Great Gatsby Trailer: Leo + Baz, Together Again

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Comments

  • Britta Unfiltered says:

    I had actually forgotten this was coming out, I haven't seen a preview for it in several months. Wasn't it supposed to be out this Christmas? And people out there hate Baz Luhrmann? That doesn't compute in my head, he's a terrific director who does really good movies. He's also very stylistic. Strictly Ballroom and its ugly duckling story is definitely the best dance movie out there with the cutest romance. My only deal with The Great Gatsby is I don't need to see it in 3-D, which I assume it's still being made in. 3-D is not really my favorite thing, I think it is getting overused and I don't really want it to intrude on a piece of classic literature. However, I do admit I had qualms about the modern spin Luhrmann did on Romeo + Juliet and that worked out just great for me, so maybe I need to give it a chance.

    • Jake says:

      Yes, but his work has steadily declined with each film. Strictly Ballroom is his best and has the perfect balance of his manic style and a good story. Romeo and Juliet is still good. His crazy style was growing, but it was very enjoyable for what it was. Then came Crapon Rouge. When style surpassed substance for him. Australia was even worse as it lacked style or substance. So this is a pivotal movie for him. Is he going to go back to SB and R+J? Or is he sticking with Moulin Rouge type of atrociousness. I hope he gets the balance back. Perhaps he will.

      - Jake

  • Frederic Salgado says:

    This is a terrible movie I already saw it and it was a stinker. I understand he is trying to do a Romeo and Juliet style but that was something way back then but it is not new now. The Great Gatsby was done beautifully with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow which captured the Roaring 20s perfectly.
    So therefore affecting seeing this movie I have a strong feeling its going to bomb and it is coming out at a wrong time towards summer this is not a summer movie .

    • Liam says:

      how have you seen it? and its not really r+j style, because he hasn't updated it to a new timeframe. I think that Luhrmann is the perfect choice to direct this, as though he may have lacked substance in recent years, with a Fitzgerald and the likes of carey mulligan and dicaprio on board that shouldn't be a problem. And he should have no problem at all with the style of the film, i think his style is a good fit for this story.

  • Alexandra says:

    I’ve recently been wondering about the very same matter personally recently. Glad to see another person on the same wavelength! Nice article.