This isn't an adaptation of Shakespeare's play, though some of the dialogue paraphrases his; the script uses some of the elements of the sources that Shakespeare used to write his work: earlier prose by da Porto, Arthur Brooke (poem), and Bandello. In these works, the story stretches out for months, and Romeo and Juliet meet in the winter at Christmas. The production values are good; the costumes are excellent, as some scholars assume that the episode occurred in the late 13th-early 14th century, and the sets and costumes look about that period, including the painted walls. As for the actors, they were unknown to me, and the only character I liked was Juliet. The protagonists looked older than teenagers. Martino Rivas' Romeo was all swagger and no feeling- I was reminded of the CW networks' teen soap operas. Still, I enjoyed it. If you understand that it's not the classic play, it's entertaining.
