I've written before on PDC about how skeptical I am of Julian Fellowes' upcoming adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, and this recently released clip isn't soothing my fears at all, to be honest. I've kept asking myself, "Can anything be better than Baz Luhrmann's version? Will a to-the-time version have any impact?" And, well ... no, I don't think Julian Fellowes has gotten it right. Nope. No.
This clip is pretty straightforward, honestly: It's when Romeo has followed Juliet after their first meeting, secretly eavesdropping on her under her window. In Luhrmann's version, you'll remember that Leo snuck under Claire's (yes, DiCaprio and Daines and I are on first-name basis) window, creeping around the perimeter of a pool. Here, we have Douglas Booth as Romeo, in some kind of Legolas-copying hooded cape robe thing, creeping around a labyrinth under Hailee Steinfeld's/Juliet's window.
I'll be honest: The labyrinth is a cool touch! And I appreciate that Hailee look the right age - Juliet is a young, young teenager; she should exude innocence. But oh, this feels so literal. Way too simplistic. Not deep enough. Much like later seasons of Fellowes' Downton Abbey, honestly; the first season was fantastic, the later ones have felt more and more derivative. And this is exactly how this clip feels: obvious.
What do you think? Sound off! Romeo and Juliet hits theaters on Oct. 11, 2013.
