4. The Tone
The tone of the novel is much more subdued than all of the movies have portrayed. Yes, Gatsby's parties are lavish and over the top, while Nick's forays into 1920s New York City often feature nights of excess and heavy drinking. The book makes no attempt to tame it's over the top elements but through Fitzgerald's writing there is always the subtle nod in the back of your mind that all of the parties and lavish gatherings are rather tragic and sad for the characters experiencing them. The movies have over-glorified the more excessive elements to often extreme measures, which is okay since film can achieve things visually that books can't, but what isn't ok is they either downplay the more tragic elements of the book or ignore them completely as Luhrmann has. When a filmmaker revels in the parties and excess the film becomes hollow and devoid of the original meaning that Fitzgerald had so masterfully imbued it with.