The Great Gatsby unfolds upon the screen like a cross between two of Baz Luhrmann’s earlier films — the sparkly romance of Romeo + Juliet met with the hypnotic bacchanalia of Moulin Rouge. In typical Lurhmann tradition, the stories contain familiar themes: tragic lovers, missed connections, and societal and/or economic obstacles that prevent such love from blossoming. The visual spectacle is captivating, excelling at what Luhrmann does best — elevating his viewer to that shimmery cinematic plane where lights, color, sound and love are so bright and loud and real that it seems no strip of canvas could contain them. This is the magic that is The Great Gatsby.