As soon as I saw the 3D preview for Gatsby (when I went to go watch Oz the Great and Powerful, which I loved) I knew that it was a movie that I wanted to see. I went and saw it a couple of days ago at the Kabuki theater where I enjoyed the Gatsby Gimlet that they were serving at the bar. I got immersed into the movie and I’ve been mulling it over since. Was it the most amazing movie I’ve ever seen in my life? No, but I did like it a lot and there were many reasons why.

Here are ten things I liked about Gatsby:

1. Stunning 3D Effects

There were so many little details in the 3D effects that I loved. I’m a sucker for 3D movies. I’ll like almost anything in 3D honestly. I just get wrapped right up into the beauty of the imagery. This movie in particular did some cool things with the way trees hung in the foreground, confetti and snow fell into the crowd, curtains billowing and words were written onto the front of the screen.

2. Gorgeous Fashions and Style

They did a great job of showing off modern couture interpretations of the fashions of the Jazz Age in a gorgeous way in this movie. It was a delight to just look at those fashions. The hairstyles, the accessories; all of the details were delightful in every scene in the movie.

3. Movie of Male Friendship

I thought it was a really interesting portrayal of the friendship between the two main male characters. We just don’t see a lot of movies that are about that topic. The movie is about many different types of relationships and they’re all interesting and important but that’s a unique aspect that differs from most other love story movies.

4. Reveals Sad Truths About Human Relationships

There are so many things that the characters in the movie could have done differently to honor, cherish, celebrate and improve their relationships. But we are human and flawed and the different relationships displayed so many of the true ways in which we can be flawed in our relationships. It’s sad, but it’s touching.

5. Music Choices

The film is filled with music. What I loved was how there was this great combination of the influences from the jazz age in which the film is set with influences of totally contemporary 21st century rap and pop music. This could have turned out terribly if it wasn’t done well but I thought it was done great.

6. Terrific Cinematography

Yes, this goes hand-in-hand a bit with point #1 about the great 3D effects but just in general I thought the photographic choices that were made were terrific. There were excellent choices made with the right lighting, the boldness of color in certain spots, the close-up details of faces in some places … It was a visually stunning movie to watch. There were certain times in the film when the Blockbuster Movie style storyline did start to get a little boring for me but the film itself didn’t bore me because it was so pretty to watch.

7. Interconnectedness of the Characters

I loved the way that the stories of the different lives of the characters were woven together throughout the film. Some smart choices there in the storytelling.

8. Glimpse into the Jazz Age

My father is in love with the Jazz Age so I know a little bit about it from what he’s shared. I know a little bit also from research I’ve done at various times. I’m the first to admit that I don’t know a whole ton about it but it’s definitely an interesting time period that I’ll eventually delve into more. I don’t know enough to say how accurately the movie represented New York in the Jazz Age but it seemed like it hit some of the key points in interesting ways, revealing the sensuality and fun of the time along with some of the darker influences that emerged then.

9. The Humor

Gatsby is not a funny movie. It’s a drama, a romance … but there were certain humorous lines that caught me off guard and cracked me up. Humor is always nice.

10. Narrated Story

I’ve always loved movies that are narrated in part by one of the characters. It’s a terrific storytelling technique that always endears a movie to me.

Have you seen Gatsby? Thoughts?