Everything old is new again as the theater seem to be filling up with remakes of classic movies that we all love. But the story of Romeo and Juliet, every generation seems to have their own version from stage productions to countless film adaptations. If you were a teen in the 90’s, the Baz Luhrmann version no doubt captured your heart like it did mine, but now we have yet another musical version of the Shakespearean play.
Is there inherently something wrong with another adaptation of the play? Something a little more updated for a new audience? It seems to be a story that everyone has heard of (except one character in Ghostlight), so why not make a different version. If there was really more to it, and a big enough change to justify it, there could be an argument there. But really, there’s not enough to really justify yet another version, except someone wanted to make it.
The slight change in the order of the names in the title should denote that the movie is more focused on Juliet. But really, it isn’t any more than the play does anyhow. A better version focusing on the female lead can even be found in Rosaline, where even there she’s the secondary character. Instead, the movie under uses the singing talent of many of it’s actors like Rebel Wilson (playing Lady Capulet) and seems like they just shoved her into a role so they could use her name for clout on the poster.
So what is really wrong with Juliet & Romeo – nothing really, but that’s the rub – there’s nothing really right with it either. It’s a love story about two young teens and their families that hate each other. Love is supposed to win, but really the story is a tragedy, even with the slight change made when you think of just what all they gave up. And knowing the ages of what the main characters were supposed to be, it’s even a bit sadder.
Sure, the movie has beautiful people falling in love – who doesn’t like that. And the music isn’t bad. But not everything has to be the next Hamilton and maybe, just maybe we can stop recreating everything. Even with all that being said, there no doubt will be hopeless romantics, and young teenage girls that will fall in love with this version of the story. But really, it just adds itself to the long list of over 30 other film adaptations since 1936 and isn’t really worth watching over again.
Overall Rating
About Juliet and Romeo
Based on the real story that inspired Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, JULIET & ROMEO follows the greatest love story of all time, set as an original pop musical.