Rent

I just finished watching the musical Rent on DVD. I have to say that it opens really nicely. I love the song and its lyrics. The cast is excellent and I like how it feels like a huge family. They all have their problems concerning poverty, AIDS and drug abuse.

I think the movie is too long and there are some parts where I felt bored or wanting to fast forward. My least favorite part of the movie is Maureen's protest. Her voice is terrible and whatever the hell she was doing just annoyed me. She would switch around from talking to singing. It drove me nuts! Pick something, lady! Later on though she becomes more tolerable. I like her partner, Joanne. She has a job, and whoever plays her sure knows how to sing!! Wow, what a voice! I think she has the best voice out of the entire cast. Another character I like is Angel. The reason for this is because she's a free spirit. She believes in love and helps spread it to those she cares about. Her pre-mature death displays the sad truth and consequences of AIDS/HIV victims. It's probably the most touching moment of the film where I even found myself tearing up a bit.

The songs themselves shifted to rock songs, rock opera, pop rock, pop and well I can't remember. All I know is that the music sounds great and the cast members give a powerful performance. The lyrics are very well written and let us understand the struggles of being poor or living in a tainted world.

Overall, Rent is a solid movie that shows you what modern society has done to man. It has created problems when there shouldn't be any.