"Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene. From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life."
Modern adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet by Baz Luhrmann. It notably updates the setting to modern California (in a mythical modern American/Hispanic city called "Verona Beach"), but keeps most of the original dialogue from the play.Of course, most of the tropes which apply to Romeo and Juliet also apply to this film.
Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Montagues wear Hawaiian shirts while Capulets mostly wear summer suits and bulletproof vests bejazzled with Catholic iconography.
Gun Fu: This particular version of the Shakespearean play is pretty big on the gunplay, both in the opening scene and in the shootout between Romeo and the cops near the end. Interestingly, guns in this movie are given the names of swords, since the Shakespearean dialogue is almost completely intact.
Masquerade Ball: The Capulets' party is more like a costume party, though.
Meet Cute: Instead of going the Dance of Romance route, this adaption has Romeo and Juliet meet from opposite sides of a fish tank in a giggle-inducing scene.
It gets even better once Fridge Logic kicks in and you realize the see-though fishtank is located between the Men's and Women's restrooms, something that would be frowned upon in most building codes and privacy laws.
Mind Screw: Romeo takes drugs before the party and sees Tybalt kissing his own aunt, Mercutio singing in drag and the room spinning. This film is by Baz Luhrmann, so it should be expected.
Mistimed Revival: Juliet wakes up just too late to stop Romeo killing himself. This adaptation makes the timing almost unbearable.
Modesty Bedsheet: Juliet wears one the morning after she sleeps with Romeo.
Mushroom Samba: As mentioned above, Mercutio gives Romeo a hit of "Queen Mab" (ecstasy) before the party.
No Indoor Voice: About half of the dialogue in this film is screamed at the top of voices. The Montague and Capulet lackeys in the first five minutes pretty much set the tone.
Noisy Guns: Romeo finds himself looking down the barrel of a double-barrelled shotgun...accompanied by the sound of a shell being pumped into the chamber.
Oh Crap: Romeo, in a dramatic moment that doesn't occur in the original play.
Walking Shirtless Scene: Benvolio primarily, but most of the Montague boys can't seem to button their shirts.
Wet Sari Scene: Both Juliet (wearing a white dress no less) and Romeo fall into her pool in the balcony scene. Romeo later gets drenched by rain after leaving Juliet's room.
What Do You Mean, It's Not Symbolic?: Water as the overarching motif (the first shot of Juliet is of her face underwater, the lovers meets across an aquarium, the balcony scene is reset in a swimming pool, Tybalt dies after toppling into a fountain, etc), along with ubiquitous Catholic symbols. And even the director is not quite sure what all of it is actually supposed to mean.
And then there is the ubiquitous Catholic iconography, most notably the transplanted Cristo Redentor statue.
Worse, in one of the film's few noticeable flubs, the Prince's line still refers to losing "a brace of kinsmen" due to his inaction... but Paris is given no hint of being his relative, and doesn't die, so..
There's also no indication, as there is in the play, that Mercutio was kin to the Prince. Mercutio and Paris made up the "brace of kinsmen."
Woman in White: Juliet until after losing her virginity. She also dies wearing a white dress as well, and when they first meet, she is wearing a white angel costume.
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