Photo:

Baz Luhrmann is known for his musical soundtracks and attempts to bring a modern twist to classic stories - just look at Romeo + Juliet, after all. The soundtrack for The Great Gatsby (curated by Jay-Z) has already attracted criticism, but for once Luhrmann's lavish taste (sometimes thought of as a lack of) fits perfectly with the film.

There's no doubt that some of the songs sounded odd out of context - Lana Del Rey's 'Young and Beautiful' seemed to be another mournful croon from the star, whereas Beyonce and Andre 3000's cover of Amy Winehouse's 'Back to Black' just came across as pointless and soulless.

But in the context of The Great Gatsby, they were spectacular. While music sometimes has the ability to take the audience out of the film - or at least make them aware that they're watching one - the Jay-Z curated music instead added an extra layer to the story of Gatsby and kept a sense of relevancy that could otherwise have been missing.

The point of The Great Gatsby is the grandeur and hedonism that characterised the 1920s in New York, and Jay-Z's brand of hip-hop fits that like no other. Fitzgerald wasn't tied to jazz but rather to the popular, racy music of the era and the mix of modern and classic in the soundtrack is the perfect juxtaposition between that.

The obvious highlight was Emeli Sande's reimagining of 'Crazy In Love' - a brassy, jazzy version which fits perfectly into the roaring '20s. In particular, it lends a timeless sense to Gatsby's obsession with Daisy Buchanan - after all, not everyone lives in a castle in West Egg, but you'd be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't at one point been 'crazy in love'. Bryan Ferry's re-telling of 'Love Is The Drug' is another stand-out, and Jay-Z's own contribution perfectly underlines Gatsby's 'new money' issues and extravagant lifestyle.

The much maligned 'Back to Black' isn't as jarring as it seemed but it is unremarkable - especially when compared to 'Crazy In Love', 'Love is the Drug' and '100$ Bill'. Overall, the Gatsby soundtrack is a triumph; it's decadent, reckless, exciting and overall empty inside - just like Fitzgerald would have wanted.