Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare’s epic and searing tale of love, is revitalized on screen by writer Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey) and director Carlos Carlei (The Flight of the Innocent). An ageless story from the world’s most renowned author is reimagined for the 21st Century. This adaptation is told in the lush traditional setting it was written, but gives a new generation the chance to fall in love with the enduring legend. With an all-star cast including Hailee Steinfeld, Douglas Booth, Paul Giamatti and Stellan Skarsgaard, it affords those unfamiliar with the tale the chance to put faces to the two names they’ve undoubtedly heard innumerable times: Romeo and Juliet. Every generation deserves to discover this lasting love. (c) Relativity

As a romantic at heart, I was excited to see the new Romeo and Juliet. It is probably the most known tragic romance in the world. I am also a big fan of Downton Abbey and the creator of that series, Julian Fellowes, is the screenwriter for this version of Romeo and Juliet.

Overall, I thought that this version of Romeo and Juliet was a good telling of the story. They definitely took a few liberties with the original Shakespeare tale though. I really loved the costumes in this movie. They were so pretty and fancy. For me, the highlight of the show was Paul Giamatti’s performance as Friar Laurence. Every scene he was in, he was spot on as his character. He provided several of the comedic moments of the show but also some of the heart wrenching moments, especially when he finds the two lovers dead together at the end.

If you are a fan of the tragic love story, this new version of Romeo and Juliet would be worth checking out.