Romeo + Juliet

William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet is a 1996 American romantic drama film directed, co-produced and co-written by Baz Luhrmann, co-produced by Gabriellia Martinelli, and co-written by Craig Pearce, being an adaptation and modernization of William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet.

The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the leading roles of Romeo and Juliet, who instantly fall in love when Romeo crashes a party and meets her, despite their being members of the Montague and Capulet family; Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo, Pete Postlethwaite, Paul Sorvino, and Diane Venora star in supporting roles.

Plot
In the modern-day city of Verona Beach, the Montagues and Capulets are two feuding families, whose children meet and fall in love. They have to hide their love from the world because they know that their parents will not allow them to be together. There are obstacles on the way, like Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, and Romeo's friend Mercutio, and many fights. But although it is set in modern times, it is still the same timeless story of the "star-crossed lovers".

Why it Rocks

 * 1) The film retains the original Shakespearean dialogue, which must've been a difficult thing to pull off.
 * 2) The film does a great job taking Romeo and Juliet into the modern world, depicting them as two warring mafia families with legitimate business fronts.
 * 3) The film has a fantastic ensemble cast, most notably Leonardo DiCaprio (Romeo) and John Leguizamo (Tybalt).
 * 4) The film's ending is severely harsh and hard-hitting, but still fits into the story of the original Romeo and Juliet.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The film's editing goes by at break-neck speed, resulting in quick and snappy scenes.
 * 2) The guns don't really fit in with the movie.
 * 3) The film's multiple use of copyrighted songs, doesn't fit into transitions and shots of scenery.

Reception
The film premiered on November 1, 1996 in the United States and Canada, in 1,276 theaters, and grossed $11.1 million its opening weekend, ranking #1 at the box office. It went on to gross $46.3 million in the United States and Canada, with a worldwide total of USD $147,554,998.

Home Media
The film was originally released on VHS and DVD in 1997. A 10th anniversary special edition DVD containing extra features and commentary was released on February 6, 2007, while a Blu-ray edition was released on October 19, 2010.