When a book is made into a movie, there are always changes made to the storyline. This is especially pronounced when you're adapting a "book" made hundreds of years ago: William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare's plays leave much open to the interpretation of the director. Baz Luhrmann's 1996 adaptation has many very important changes, all of which are inspired by more or less the same reason. Baz Luhrmann made the decisions to have a modern setting, to amend the original script, and to cast specific actors in order to attract a new demographic in addition to the regular viewers of Shakespearean theater.
First, Luhrmann decided to change the setting to a modern city in order to further this purpose. One thing related to this is the car chase Romeo engages in when he returns to Verona. The car chase is a prototypical scene in action movies, and it would raise the urgency of the final scene. Another example is the sword fight in the first scene being changed to a shootout. The shootout would be something that the younger viewers would be more able to relate to; it would engage them better than a sword fight. A third example is the Montagues and Capulets being transformed to wealthy businessmen. Their competing wealth, as shown by the two highest buildings in the city having their names upon them, gives the viewer another reason for them to have a rivalry. The modern setting results in these changes, all of which are designed to be more engaging for a modern audience.
Next, the choice to make slight amendments to the original story was targeted towards the modern demographic. Luhrmann chose to change the balcony scene: rather than Juliet being on a balcony above Romeo, they are both in a pool. The change in scene allows intimacy between Romeo and Juliet, which would appeal to the viewers. Also, he chose to make Romeo see Juliet awake as he is taking the poison. Romeo's seeing Juliet is a component of tragedy that is not in the original script: the hero realizing that all their actions were pointless. Last, he chose to remove the mentions of reconciliation between the Capulets and Montagues at the end of the movie. This raises the sense of tragedy even further, as it removes the lighter note at the end. This makes the movie stand out from other movies, where even if the heroes fail, there is usually an upside (e.g. they tried their hardest and are happy with their attempts). These changes to the storyline were made because they are more appealing to a younger viewing audience.
Third, the casting decisions were made in order to cater to the younger viewers. Primarily, Leonardo DiCaprio was cast as Romeo. Leonardo DiCaprio had previously been in movies such as Total Eclipse and The Quick and the Dead (both having at least ten thousand reviews on IMDb). As such, he would be extremely recognizable by the viewers. Second, Claire Danes was cast as Juliet. She had also previously been in popular movies, such as Little Women and Home for the Holidays. She would also be immediately recognizable. Third, Harold Perrineau was cast as Mercutio. This casting decision defies the typical all-Caucasian casting scheme of a Shakespearean production. This was likely done in order to, again, break the mold of past movie adaptations. Thus, the casting decisions of Baz Luhrmann were made in order to target a younger demographic.
Baz Luhrmann making the decisions to have a modern setting, to amend the original script, and to cast specific actors had the result of attracting a new demographic to his movie. Luhrmann's decisions unquestionably accomplished his goals. Every time a movie adaptation is made of a book or a play, the director must make choices as to what to keep, what to reject, and what to change. These decisions can simply be based on a technical or commercial restriction, or they can be complex decisions made in order to further a specific purpose. Because of this, it is important to understand the decisions of a director or creator, so that one can better understand the concepts of a movie and of art in general.