Romeo + Juliet is still a dagger to the heart 30 years after its release

Still the best Mercutio in every production or adaption I have ever seen.

Such an incredible film, I’m old enough to remember the horrified responses when it was first announced. Such a swing and it all works so well 

Some of Luhrmann’s best work. Maybe even his best. I love the scene where they see each other through the fish tank at the masquerade and the string music of “Kissing You” plays

We watched this in my high school English class, and the class went wild watching it. Plus the Black and Hispanic kids I could tell they absolutely loved seeing their cultures portrayed on screen, from John Leguizamo playing a vain and flashy Cholo version of Tybault to the gospel cover of Prince's "When the Doves Cry," although a number of them only knew the Ginuwine cover.

Do you bite your thumb at me, Sir?

Saw this in the theater and loved it ever since. Was my entry point to appreciating Shakespeare as I’m sure it was for a lot of people my age. Really special film and a true product of its time (in a good way).

Great film and great soundtrack. They killed it with this one.

As a literature teacher, I have the absolute pleasure and joy introducing this to students each year. They never know what to think at first, some of it is corny, other parts mesmerizing, at the end they all really enjoy it — it’s an experience for sure 🧡

We had to get a permission slip to watch it in high school because there’s t***. One of the few days we had perfect attendance. Literally writing “sword” on the gun was also a nice touch lol

Not my favorite adaptation of R&J, although I do love Claire Danes as Juliet, but it is the only adaptation that has Juliet waking up as Romeo is dying. They both see each other and realize what has happeend: it's heartbreaking in a way that merely having her wake up and see him dead cannot touch.

I loved this movie! I still love it. Everybody and everything was perfect.

A PRETTY PIECE OF FLESH I AAAAAM

My emo heart can’t handle it

Mercutio in drag, testy Tybalt and dressed up pistols made this movie for me. Oh! Claire Danes too!

Baz Luhrman deserves more accolades than he gets unfortunately.

I liked the slight change to the ending in the movie better than the play version. The fact that Romeo drinks the poison and then sees Juliet wake with a smile upon seeing his face. It really upped the tragedy because he realized she was alive. And Juliet sees him die now, she doesn’t just find him dead. For a moment they realize they’re both together then it’s over.

We watched this in high school after reading the original. I just remember the entire class bursting out into laughter when Romeo's dad asked for his "longsword" and they hand him a shotgun.

Radiohead - “Talk Show Host” playing when we are first introduced to Romeo ( Leo ) Made me a Radiohead fan and as a kid was my first introduction to Leonardo DiCaprio https://youtu.be/SKDOWUstfws?si=Jmd7LQawY28rhW-V

and the soundtrack really cemented the entire mood of the film. man i loved that soundtrack. and how young leo and claire danes were. totally holds over time

🎶Will you be my Romeo? My go-go Romeo? I see you twist and turn. You look so stupid. I feel just like a local god when I'm with the boys! 🎶🥀

I went to see this movie at a matinee on Election Day 1996. I went to see it again three more times that year. It's still one of my all-time favorite movies.

This movie is why I became an actor.

This movie had such a hold on me omg

Bloody brilliant adaptation. The ability to make it modern without betraying the story was 🤌✨

and a great under-heralded Radiohead song on the soundtrack.

30 years. Christ it was a “blind ticket buy” at my local odeon. Hadn’t seen anything about it and was curious. Was pleasantly surprised by how fun it was. Re-Watched it a few years ago now and you can tell a lot of the young actors didn’t really know what they were saying and it tells with their choices in emphasising certain words over others. But still a good fun interpretation.

I love this movie for what it is, but also because it introduced me to Radiohead.

[Stabbed in the heart](https://tenor.com/cXfUU776xbC.gif)

Is this back in theaters this year because I would love to see it on a bigger screen.

This movie could have been so extraordinarily bad, in concept it sounds like a total flop. Saw it in the theater, expecting a “so bad it’s inadvertently a comedy.” Was blown away by the sheer audacity, and the interpretation was spot-on. PostHaste was genius.

I was the target audience when this was released, but it took me 20 years to fully appreciate this film. My favourite thing is to look for all the Easter eggs in it. Even the design of the Capulet mansion is based off a palazzo.

Classic! Nobody touch it!!

I grew up loving the Zeffirelli version. My mom loved so I saw it many times, and I still love it. Because of that loyalty, I wanted to hate this movie and I avoided it for quite a while. When I finally saw it I was so angry with myself. It's an incredible adaptation and firmly ranks in my lifetime top 25 movies.

Just cause I haven’t seen them mentioned yet: Brian Dennehy and Pete Postlethwaite brought so much gravitas. The cast completely committed and made you fully believe in the unreal world Luhrman built around them. 

I love this movie so much

I love this film. Had the biggest crush on Danes as a kid

I loved this movie! I was hoping Wuthering Heights would have been that good.

Unbelievable performances by all. I remember seeing it in theaters and I don't think I stopped crying from Mercutio's death until the end. And then for like a good ten minutes afterwards too. Plus, I think it's Baz's best film. Lush, visceral, and vivid, with a great soundtrack too.

The masquerade scene makes such a great couples Halloween costume.

This movie came out when we were 15. Talk about Cupid *hitting* his mark. My girls and I must’ve seen this 10 times in the theater. And what about Garbage on the soundtrack? And the BALLROOM of Baz!? Peak heaven (and exquisite Hell). 💔💫

Just watched this with one of my friends the other day. It is still as magnificent and beautiful since the first time I saw it. The soundtrack as well. They both forever live in my soul!

I think you mean 430 years later.

Their swords were sick af.

Soundtrack is a banger, walked down the aisle to the instrumental version of I’m kissing you at my wedding last year.

Leguizamo stole this entire movie

I love this film so much, but it’s always bittersweet because a friend of mine from softball killed herself when she was just 12 f****** years old and requested to be buried in a dress similar to Claire Dane’s dress in the end. Beautiful film, sad f****** memory. Really a coming of age tale in more ways than one. RIP Becky.

"Heres thy gold" - Its literally just dollar bills lmao.

Watched this in high school English class. This was around the time that GTA: Vice City was still hot, and everyone *loved* it because it was like watching scenes from a PS2 game.

Watched this in English class and let me tell you, even the people who never cared about anything else in there enjoyed this movie. As silly at it seems it really works.

30? Wasn’t this written in the 17th century?

My absolute favorite film!

It is probably my favorite film from the 90's

My coworker hates everything Baz does. He was 20 before R&J came out so he could not have seen it as I did as a teenager and that has made all the difference in our attitudes to the work of Baz.

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills whenever this movie is brought up. This is the worst adaptation of Shakespeare I have *ever* seen and people talk about it like it's Citizen Kane or something.

Actually more like 400 years

I think it’s a lil older than that 😉

I feel like it might be a bit more than 30 years old

I think this is actively a bad movie (and I will never get over the editing of the death scene making it look like Romeo saw Juliet wake up and THEN chugged the poison). But this, A Knight's Tale (actually a great movie), and Keanu's Johnny Mnemonic (... I liked it but I get why Gibson was done with Hollywood for like 30 years after it) are some of my favorite examples of actively good adaptations. Rather than just recreate the source material they focused on the actual emotion and Message of the story. An ex was a professor who taught media analysis (its been long enough that I have no idea what her degree or title was) and always used R+J as a litmus test. People who freak out at "the changes" honestly don't get the point and REALLY don't understand how Shakespeare was very much the SNL/South Park of their time.

I can’t make my mind up if this movie is a masterpiece or shit

Crazy, almost like they had a proven blueprint to build the story from.

I love that movie. No one will ever be better then Harold Perrineau as Mercutio but my fave R&J is still the 1968 version. I loved Leo in the 96 one but as much as I like Clair I always thought she was miscast.

Our English teacher in 11th grade showed us this and at first I thought it was gonna be lame cause of the modern setting but this shit was epic.

The script is even older

not to be that guy, is it actually that great? it is interesting in a corny way i believe