Why were the movie versions of Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" not as critically acclaimed as his written version?

Question

Many well-know critics have reviewed "The Great Gatsby" in a negative light, some expressing that movies are lacking in creating the "allusiveness" and "honing in on the inherent melancholic darkness and the subtle allusiveness of Gatsby's central journey."

Other critiques have added that movies fail to capture Fitzgerald's elegant style while credible journals like Variety have criticized the latest Gatsby movie as being over-the-top entertainment filled with useless scenes.

Answer 1

I think you have pretty much answered the question yourself in your own words above. However, I will also add that movies based on books in general tend to not do the original literary work(s) justice in terms of depicting the characters, setting, and events 100% accurately. Sometimes the story gets twisted to include more drama or focus more on certain elements/parts of the book than others, which leaves significant gaps between important points in the plot and often overshadows the real significance of the literary work showcased. While it never hurts to produce or view a movie based on a literary work, it is always important to read the book before or after watching the movie to get a real sense of what the author was trying to convey from cover to cover.