Gnomeo & Juliet. A Review.

     Did you graduate high school?  Yes?  So you're familiar with the source material then.  And you know what a gnome is?  Then you've pretty much put together what happens in Gnomeo & Juliet.  It's the story of Romeo and Juliet, but with gnomes.  Therefore, it is adorable. 
     There's really no reason to make a version of Romeo and Juliet with gnomes, except to make Romeo and Juliet adorable.  I barely remember what happens, except whatever happens was pretty damn adorable.  And there was no double suicide at the end.  I suppose double suicides are not adorable. 
      The gnomes did not speak in traditional Shakespearean language, and I was thankful.  There were a few lines here and there, for example, Juliet was standing on a tower and started in with "Gnomeo, Gnomeo, where for out thou..." or something like that.  And then she just went on and on, in her gnome way.  Gnomeo hears this (a la the original) and responds, which makes Juliet freak out a bit.  The structure of Shakespeare was brought to a modern place, with contemporary reactions to that Olde English behavior, but with gnomes. 
     Another noticeable difference is that gnomes don't die the way people die; they don't get sick and old.  Gnomes get smashed.  It's a little bit shocking, actually.  I always tend to be surprised when a character in an animated film dies.  The could animate Patton and I'd be shocked at all the death.  I would hope they would find a way to keep cartoon Patton fighting; Gnome Patton wouldn't let a little pulmonary embolism get him down.
     Admittedly, I may have missed some of the finer points of Gnomeo & Juliet.  I was also making dinner while I was watching so I was in and out of the room.  But I'm fairly confident that mentally, I can grasp a film that's mostly about gnomes, and uses source material that's about 500 years old.  I agree with Gnomeo--the ending he made happen was much better than that pesky everybody dies ending Shakespeare wrote.  I also really enjoyed the scene where Gnomeo was talking to the statue of William Shakespeare, and the Bard was really excited about the tragic ending.
     I would watch Gnomeo & Juliet again, and pay closer attention this time.  I would also recommend it to anyone who enjoys things that are adorable.