I'm very happy, I went to see it.

My thoughts on the movie are mixed. I just got back from seeing it. I took my niece and her best friend, both 15 year olds. When it was over, I asked them how they would rate it on a scale of 1 to 10. My niece said "8." Her best friend said "8" or "9." She particularly thought that Condola Rashad and Brent Carver (Friar Laurence) did an exceptional job. I'd rate it an "8." I think Orlando Bloom did a good job, his performance got better as the show went on. As good as I thought OB was, I must admit that I was more impressed with CR. She made the words she spoke her own. To me, she was very believable in the role. I also liked Christian Camargo in the role of Mercutio. Chuck Cooper was good as Lord Capulet and so was Roslyn Ruff as Lady Capulet, but I did not like the characters of Lord and Lady Capulet; Lord Capulet in particular.

I also thought that the story was told at a pretty fast pace. This was good from the standpoint, that most people are familiar with the story of Romeo and Juliet. So, its good the story kept moving and didn't drag --but, at the same time, I couldn't help wonder if it wasn't moving too fast. There was a rushed quality to it.

What I found most disappointing about the whole thing is that we were the only three in the theater, until about the last half hour of the movie. A handful more came straggling in at that time. I'm not sure what to what to attribute this low viewership. It was a 2pm showing that we went to. I know I don't usually go to Sunday afternoon matinees. Maybe that's not a popular movie going time for others either. I'm sure the $20.00 per person ticket price, didn't encourage a lot of people to come out either, especially since there is a reduced price for tickets at most theaters if you go to a show before 4:00pm.
Overall, I'm very happy I went. I had wanted so much to see this, but knew that I could not afford a trip to NY to see it when it was on broadway. So, I was happy when I heard it had been released as a movie and was coming to my area because all I wanted was to see it, didn't want to go to NY, didn't want to have to spend air fare, stay in a hotel etc. So, seeing it in the theater on the big screen really worked for me. Now, all I want them to do is release it to DVD, so that I can see it again and again, whenever I want to.