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Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Romeo and Juliet is one of the most well-known love stories of all times, inspiring frequent retellings and remakes. And the latest re-imagining, Juliet & Romeo, takes the period romance and gives it an all-star cast and an unexpected new twist.
Juliet & Romeo tells the classic tale of star-crossed lovers with a pop music twist. As tensions between Rome and the pope grow in 1301, the feuding families of Verona are fighting to align themselves with the royals, in order to gain favor and power. Lord Capulet (Rupert Everett) calls his daughter, Juliet (Clara Rugaard), home from her school in France to make an important announcement. But while the families are preparing for this important political battle, Juliet falls in love with Romeo (Jamie Ward), the son of Lord Montague (Jason Isaacs).
As the film opens, it looks like any other traditional Romeo and Juliet film, with the same costumes and period style and loosely-Shakespearian language. But when the characters first break into song, it’s clear that this isn’t just the same old Romeo and Juliet—it’s a pop musical. Jamie Ward’s scruffy boy-band good looks are perfectly fitting here—because while the style may be fourteenth-century, the music is definitely twenty-first-century. And while the mix may feel off-putting at times, the musical numbers give the story a little extra color and life—apart from Dan Fogler’s song about potions, that is, which seems out of place with the boy-band-video style of the rest of the film.
The story, meanwhile, focuses more on the politics and drama—on the families’ fight to maintain power and control in an uncertain time, as well as on the finer details of the couple’s plot to escape. The different perspective is interesting—and maybe even clever—though Shakespearean purists will be absolutely mortified by some of the twists that the filmmakers take with the end of the story. It’s explained in a way that makes sense—and it will make the film more appealing to younger audiences and hopeless romantics—but literature scholars should probably steer clear of this one.
Juliet & Romeo takes the classic tale of star-crossed lovers and gives it a kind of Disney live action musical remake. It may not be a faithful telling of Shakespeare’s tragedy, but the color and the music and the all-star cast make it a lively and entertaining adaptation.
You can fall in love with these star-crossed lovers (again) when Juliet & Romeo arrives in theaters on May 9, 2025.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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