Great Gatsby – Evaluation

I. Introduction
Thesis: The major motion picture The Great Gatsby is an amazing film due to its superb special effects, wondrous wardrobe, captivating characterizations, and modern and moving musical score.

II. Arguments for the Judgment
a. Superb special effects
b. Wondrous Wardrobe
c. Captivating Characterizations
d. Modern and moving musical score

III. Counterarguments
a. PG-13 Rating
b. Old Fashioned

IV. Conclusion
Thesis: The major motion picture The Great Gatsby is an amazing film due to its superb special effects, wondrous wardrobe, captivating characterizations, and modern and moving musical score.

AaJahne John-Baptiste
Dr. Xiao Aurora Wang
ENC1101
Evaluation Essay
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby is a movie based on the well-known The Great Gatsby, written by the esteemed F. Scott Fitzgerald. Other films based off of books venture away from the original storylines, like Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. The Great Gatsby was adapted for the big screen in 1974 and 2000. However, the 2013 rendition of the novel is the most true to the storyline of the Fitzgerald novel. The Great Gatsby follows Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz and bootleg kings. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-throwing millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy, and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan. It is this close interaction that draws Nick into the captivating world of the über-rich’s illusions, loves and deceits.

As Nick bears witness, within and without the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles. The major motion picture The Great Gatsby is an amazing film due to its superb special effects, wondrous wardrobe, captivating characterizations, and modern and moving musical score. The special effects of this movie, produced as a 3D film, show the lavish and flamboyant lifestyle of the 1920s. The extravagant parties and scenes in slow motion, display fantastic special effects. The climax of the movie was the car accident scene, which is jam-packed with special effects, such as Myrtle’s body slamming into the car, followed by her body flying through the air, her pearls coming off their string mid-air, her breast slipping out of her undergarments, all while being watched by the brooding eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleberg. The setting for The Great Gatsby is spring of 1922 in New York City. The costume design of the film embodies this time period flawlessly The actresses in the film wore the recognizable staple outfit of the 20’s: the flapper dress and feathers in the hair, in some scenes of the movie. The actors’ suits were slim-fitted and tailored to their bodies like that of the decade.

The wardrobe and costuming was nominated for many awards and won Best Costume Design for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and also won the Oscar award for Best Achievement in Costume Design. Leonardo Di Caprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carey Mulligan, did an outstanding job captivating the true personalities of the characters they played. Because of their outstanding performances, the film and the actors individually were nominated and won awards from all over the world. The music in this movie helps to draw in and invoke feeling from the audience. This is accomplished by choosing music to which the current generation can relate to and which works well with whatever scene the music is played in. The soundtrack of the movie has different types of music genres; rap, pop, rock, electronic, dance and R&B. The diversity of the soundtrack helps everyone who sees the movie to be engaged in it. The song that truly holds the essence of the entire theme of the movie is Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful” for it goes with Gatsby’s undying love for Daisy.

Some people did not enjoy The Great Gatsby because its “old fashioned”, set in a period too long ago for this generation to understand. Others disliked the movie because of the PG-13 rating, which was earned due to half-naked women throughout the movie, a few sex scenes smoking, partying, some violent images, and some brief language throughout the movie. However, in today’s day and age every movie has these same characteristics. The major motion picture The Great Gatsby is an astonishing film that grossed over 530 million dollars worldwide in its first few weeks of release. The Great Gatsby is an amazing film due to its superb special effects, wondrous wardrobe, captivating characterizations, and modern and moving musical score.