The 2010s Nostalgia of The Great Gatsby

by Katherine Patterson

Recently, I saw that The Great Gatsby had been brought to Netflix, I had been feeling nostalgic, so I wanted to give it a watch. While watching it, I was immediately distracted by how many CGI effects there were. I had never noticed them before when I used to watch it, instead I used to admire those aspects, as well as the extravagant costuming and effects.

So I wondered why I liked this movie so much.

To start, I had loved the novel, and at the time was infatuated with Leonardo DiCaprio, so watching the film was a no-brainer. The combination of both had led me to stumble into this movie unaware of what was to come.

There were many attractions for the film at the time. Besides its top-billing cast and crew, its unrequited romance plot-line fascinated me. The plot-line is dramatized even more by Luhrmann’s over-the-top editing style, where I found myself infatuated by torn-up letters, newspaper headlines, and Carey Mulligan’s gasps.

When I first saw the film, I was extremely impressed by the 1920s set design. I didn’t realize at the time, though, that it was the effects of CGI. After rewatching the film, the 2010s CGI dependence shines through. Although it is impressive, its effects can be seen as being dated. Since the 2010s were the years of opulence and excess after the recession, Luhrmann demonstrates this through his blockbuster CGI effects. The excessive usage of the effects makes for a glamorous scene that any teen or tween would love.

The extravagant score and soundtrack only added to it. It had been produced by Jay-Z and had an incredible variety of artists from the time like Lana Del Rey, Will.i.am, and Fergie. It captured the 2010s music scene for a tween to teen girl at the time. So not only did I become obsessed with the film but I also became an avid consumer of the soundtrack. Luhrmann can turn his films into time capsules essentially, with the ability to pick composers who can utilize modern musicians and turn their songs into beautiful scores.

One of the most outstanding ones in this film is, “Young and Beautiful” by Lana Del Rey. Even though I find the film very over the top now, “Young and Beautiful” remains one of my favorite songs of all time, and the score made from it only adds to this love. The song utilizes Del Rey’s haunting vocals mixed with a desperation in her voice to give a heart-wrenching feeling to anyone listening.

Returning to my rewatch of The Great Gatsby, I could understand why I did love it. The extravagance through CGI effects, acting, costuming, and production all came together to make it a delightful viewing experience. Now, though, I find Luhrman’s choices through editing, sound, and acting to be too much to handle. It ends up drowning out the message of the original work it was based on and allows for there to be a glamorization of the crimes of its characters. Even Gatsby’s characterization is left to be a mystery, there is no grounding of his character, like there is at the end of the novel. Gatsby’s father comes at the end and explains the stories of Gatsby, and gives an understanding glimpse into Gatsby’s mind that helps the audience process him just as much as Nick can.

But, I will always have a special place for this movie, and even if you don’t watch it, at least give a listen to Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful”. You won’t regret it.