“Movie selections are starting to pick up, but only slightly. Today’s feature was Gnomeo & Juliet. In a word, LOVE!
This was a great example of what a kiddie movie should be. Literary merit, clever, cute, jokes for the big kids. I was actually surprised with how much Shakespeare they incorporated. Id expected a very bare bones Romeo and Juliet set up, but they went waaaay beyond that. They started out with the prologue (or at least some of it), you had Tybalt and Paris and even Benvolio (renamed Benny). There was a reference to the balcony scene, and I love how that bit ended with Gnomeo in the pond, possibly in reference to the Baz Lurman R+J. A few quotes here and there from the source “”parting is such sweet sorrow””, and even a cameo from the big guy Bill Shakespeare. They even included (in their own magical way) the result of the Romeo/Tybalt fight, Romeo’s exile, and a couple other storylines that I’d have expected to be just dropped completely.
It was just so adorable and funny. Multiple laugh out loud moments, a rarity for me when alone at the theater. Although, I was often the only one laughing at times, but that was mostly at the big kid jokes and a few of the more subtle references.
Also loved the music. Id forgotten that it was done by Elton John. While he may not appear to be my style, I am a fan. Mostly because he wrote my favorite song (even though I prefer this version. While some of it was new, a lot was recycled classic stuff that fit really well. Some was blatant, such as Paris singing “”Your Song”” with different lyrics (“”Your Song”” then become the underscoring love theme for Gnomeo and Juliet). Others were more subtle, like the “”Rocketman”” riff playing whenever someone was airborne, or “”Benny and the Jets”” when Benny was playing around on the computer.
Props to the voice cast as well. James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Jason Statham (I squealed when I saw he was Tybalt), Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, Ozzy Osbourne. I’d actually done my homework and looked up the cast beforehand, so I wouldnt be spending the whole time trying to identify voices.
The characters were so lovable. I was particularly fond of Benny and Tybalt’s little minions. The premise was so cute and worked so well. I also loved the feud wasn’t just between the neighboring gnomes, but their, shall we call them, landlords as well.
Very much a win. Prolly my favorite of the year so far, or at least the first that’s really stood out as special.
Gnomeo & Juliet – \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/