I can't understand why they always re-make the movies that were done well the first time. They need to re-do the crappy movies and see if they can get them right.....

I couldn't agree with you more. Some things should be left alone.

I agree. I am not a fan of remakes at all. If it was good enough the first time, what's the point? I'm with jimcurt99 on this. Re-make the crappy ones, but leave the classics alone.

It's because Leo decaprio wants an Oscar. Or something. I'm having trouble understanding why it's getting another movie version myself. I really like the movie done in the 70s with robert Redford.

I thought I would say something like, there's certainly room for more than one cinematic interpretation of the Great Gatsby, and actually, this looks pretty good in a melodramatic fun way. Next, I was going to say something about how I'd rather see Hollywood spend its big money on Baz Luhrmann's Great Gatsby rather than on The Expendables 2, and then I was going to make some wisecrack about how maybe they should have let Baz Luhrmann direct The Expendables 2. But then I realized I would be a lot more interested in seeing Baz Luhrmann's take on the Expendables than seeing his take on The Great Gatsby, and this supports jimcurt99's comment about why not remake the crappy movies.

There have been several film adaptations of this. One in the 20s, one in the 40s, the 1974 Robert Redford/Mia Farrow version to which I guess you're referring, and one in 2000 with Mira Sorvino. So I'm not sure why people are so up in arms about something that isn't a remake, but just another film adaptation of a book that's been adapted multiple times. I guess people just have a knee-jerk reaction to the word "remake." Which, again, this isn't.

And honestly, my opinion of the 1974 film isn't high. I don't think it's that well regarded either. I found it to be extremely bland, and you could tell it was made in the 70s too (not in a good way).

I usually like Baz Luhrman's stuff, and I actually think DiCaprio is great for this role.

To me decaprio doesn't have the gravitas to play the rolls he chooses or is picked for. I just don't find him believable as the type of man Gatsby was.

It seems as though every other movie released is a remake. It's annoying.

Which original?

The silent one? The one with Paul Rudd (surely a keeper)? The one with Alan Ladd?

If you're a talented actor, or writer, or director, or whatever, why wouldn't you want to try your hand at adapting one of your favorite pieces of fiction? If you're one of the above and someone with pallets of money and studio backing to do so and something resembling talent and taste approached you to take part in it, why would possibly say no?