I watched the 1996 version of Romeo + Juliet starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and I thought it was kind of weird. However, it reminded me why this Shakespeare play is still around in popular media: the ideas, story, characters, and conflicts are as real today as they were back when the bard wrote the play. Love, family, feud, battle, death, but especially love.
The movie used the dialogue from the original play. This is what caught my attention, and it got me into the movie. My feelings towards using the original dialogue changed throughout the movie. At first, it made the story seem kind of weird. People don't really talk like that nowadays! The Capulet's and Montague's were at a gas station talking really weird and pulled out guns (made by the "Sword" company, so they could call them swords and keep the original text) and started shooting each other. However, as the movie progressed, I realized something: the original text fit perfectly with the story represented on this modern stage! It opened my eyes to the fact that Romeo and Juliet lives on in so many different ways in our society even today. Shakespeare was wise enough to write about topics that touch the human race, have always touched it, and will probably continue until the end of time.
For your enjoyment, here is a YouTube video of the rock band "Killers" playing a song about Romeo and Juliet:
