Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge is a maximalist assault on the senses that hasn’t aged gracefully, defined by jarring cuts and absurd slow motion that feel less like stylistic choices and more like a film terrified you’ll look away, yet its one enduring strength lies in the clever, unexpected needle drops “El Tango de Roxanne,” “Your Song,” the frantic medleys, that recontextualize modern pop in 1899 Paris and genuinely surprise when they land, even if they occasionally veer into Glee territory; ultimately, though, the film suffers from an aggressively anti-timeless quality, its frantic editing, VFX Paris, and MTV pacing screaming Y2K aesthetic desperation in a way that films like Amélie or Luhrmann’s own Romeo + Juliet avoid, leaving Moulin Rouge! a fascinating misfire worth watching for Nicole Kidman’s (and Ewan McGregors) commitment and the soundtrack alone.
Not the first time that Ewan McGregor loses someone named Satine.