You either loved Moulin Rouge, or hated it.

There doesn't seem to be a middle ground where this movie is concerned. First of all, it's a musical and everyone knows that musicals suck, especially anything made after the golden age of MGM. That's not entirely true. Not where Moulin Rouge is concerned.

I think that you have to be in the mood for certain movies, and for me, this was certainly the case here. I tried watching Moulin Rouge a number of times before it finally clicked. I'm glad that it did, because it is now one of my favorite movies. Ewan McGregor was the reason why I was first interested in the film. His roles in Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, and even as Obi-Wan were enough to mark me as a fan, but as the yearning romantic Christian, he turned me into a fanatic.

Yes, this is a love story. And it's a good one. It's got it all: jealousy, triangles, dancing and death. But most of all, it's got music. From the beginning song "Nature Boy" to more songs made famous by artists like Miami Sound Machine, Madonna and The Police, the makers of the movie have delightfully envisioned a film that crosses the sounds of different times. Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor and other principal actors all provide their own vocal contributions that are pulled off surprisingly well. Some have likened it to an MTV style movie, and I can sort of see why. The kinetic energy during certain dance numbers lend credence to this opinion, but I think that it goes deeper than that. Trust me, the more you watch the movie, the more you end up finding things that you've missed.

Yes, it's spectacular (Spectacular!) but it's with substance as well.