If you're hoping that watching Gnomeo and Juliet will help you pass this semester's literature
class, you're barking up the wrong tree. At best, Gnomeo and Juliet takes the essence of the Romeo and Juliet that we all know and mildly loathe"”the doomed,
star-crossed lovers of rival families"”and spins it into a generally amusing,
animated film with a side of slightly terrible cinematic cheese. The film pays
homage to its almost-namesake with a stage-play styled opening sequence and
curtain call, not to mention the modernized lines from the original play, but,
aside from a few other nods to other Shakespearean works, the film knowingly
strays from the original.
As is the case with most recent animated films, some of the
humor is directed at the adults in the audience, but none of those jokes are
overtly vulgar for the younger crowd. The pop culture references are actually
surprisingly well-done and didn't detract from the overall tone of Gnomeo and Juliet. Elton John's musical
influence in film remained consistent throughout its entirety and supported the
lighter tone to the traditionally tragic storyline.
Ignoring any potential plot issues, the overall animation
and character design in Gnomeo and Juliet
is very well planned and executed, and the voice casting and acting only
served to enhance the animation and design. The 3-D sections of the movie added
to the depth of field and enhanced many of scenes rather than using 3-D to
startle the audience. However, it should be noted that you're not really
missing anything if you opt to see Gnomeo
and Juliet in traditional format.
Gnomeo and Juliet isn't
a film that's going to win any awards; it lacks any strong staying power and
is, ultimately, a rather forgettable movie. Is this the greatest representation
of Romeo and Juliet to ever come out
of Hollywood? Definitely not, but it serves its purpose of retelling that story
in a format that both children and adults can enjoy.
