The trailer for The Great Gatsby has arrived and it’s already become one of the more polarizing things in recent days. Which is alarming and amazing. It’s nice to see such hot passionate debate about a literary work, but it’s also annoying that many are finding faults in the work by a trailer. How often are trailers representative of the material in any substantial way?

Yes, Hollywood focus groups and dumbs down trailers to the point where one almost can skip the film entirely but they are merely a taste of what’s to come. We’ve been taught time and time again not to get too hyped or downtrodden over a trailer lest we be punished.

With that said I am very excited to see the trailer for The Great Gatsby arrive as it’s both a very known commodity (and one with no really decent adaptations as of yet) and an unknown one. When Baz Luhrman is involved there are certain expectations and the same goes for the young high profile cast. This has the potential to be amazing or laughable, with not a lot of ground in between. I have a good feeling. Even if it is a “style over substance” movie, a big glossy version of The Great Gatsby is just what the doctor ordered.

But if you’re a naysayer or bewildered, here’s a few things to help you:

  • It looks like a hundred million bucks and there’s not one robot, radioactive hero, wizard, vampire, or ex-comedian in drag.
  • It’s not an original Baz Luhrman project and therefore it’s his sizzle matched with a serious bit of literary steak.
  • Actors are in the film which are known for not taking bullshit roles to pad their wallet or resume.
  • It’s epic and opulent in a way very rarely seen on screens.
  • It’s the fucking Great Gatsby.
  • And remember, NO ROBOTS.
  • It’s one of the greatest American stories ever told and it’s getting the A-List treatment.
  • Hundreds of special effects people worked on the movie to create a romanticized version of the world of our great grandparents. Without one scene involving or bragging about the use of Mo-Cap.
  • Leonardo DiCaprio is almost always the mark of quality in a film and even when the film sucks [J. Edgar, Blood Diamond] it shouldn’t have.
  • It’s timeless. That means it’s not riding some fad, trend, or being made simply to prevent the rights from reverting back to someone.
  • Baz Luhrman, some forget, is a seriously talented motherfucker.
  • Because it’s a new movie that has no other shit to sell. No video game, toys, app, or line of clothing.
  • Because if someone wants to read the movie tie-in, it’s written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and not Peter David.
  • Because Boardwalk Empire and Mad Men are favorites of yours and this lives rather interestingly between those worlds.
  • Because I’m excited and in 1998 an obscure film magazine said I was a powerful voice in the internet film community and then I championed Equilibrium. Of course you should trust me.
  • Zero goddamn transforming things.