Even worse the second time

Saw this movie in theaters with my girlfriend who is obsessed with F. Scott Fitzgerald. I've read the book (which I'm honestly not a huge fan of, but I understand why many are) and was looking forward to this film. I was initially turned off by the previews showing Toby Maguire as Nick Caraway....I wasn't so sure about 40-year old Leo as Gatsby....I doubted the effectiveness of hip-hop in a movie taking place in the 20s...and I definitely didn't understand the need for so much CGI it looks like a video game. Well, all my fears were correct. I left the theater wishing I hadn't wasted my money and my time, but figured maybe it would be better after a second viewing.

False. The movie came on HBO today and I figured I'd give it another try since there's not much else on and I'm not used to sitting around during the day..so why not? The film is still unwatchable. The color palate is bad, the CGI is still so rampant I can't help but feel like I'm playing PS4, the acting is brutal, and I had to turn it off before I reached halfway.

Unfortunately the pure star power of the cast, popularity of the novel, and ridiculous amount of advertising were able to convince a good portion of viewers that this movie is actually decent. Some people said maybe without the music it would have been better, but that's just a small part of it. The cinematography is so all over the place that I could hardly tell what was happening half the time. The editor jumps from shot to shot so often, fading and fading and fading, that I'm convinced he had no other method of transition. There's pretty much nothing commendable about this movie aside from the enormous budget and production value which ended up creating one of the most overhyped films in recent memory.

Do yourself a favor - if you want to know the story of Great Gatsby, read the book..and watch this film at your risk (of your sanity)