Historic poet William Makepeace Thackeray once stated that, “Next to excellence is the appreciation of it.” Fresh off a viewing of The Great Gatsby, such a sentiment resonates strongly. Are we truly truly appreciative of, one, Leonardo DiCaprio?

Portraying the peculiar magnate, Jay Gatsby, I found DiCaprio to be grand. Although it could be argued that I am just a prisoner of the moment, this is the same way I felt after DiCaprio’s performance in his final minutes of Django: Unchained. I still feel that way.

DiCaprio was callously polished, captivating and credible. Which is why I am still perplexed as to how his work in the Quentin Tarantino film was so seemingly unappreciated. But the Hollywood veteran delivers yet again, as Gatsby — unapologetically captivating; and most of all, great.

However, the initial feedback seems to be that many were not blown away by DiCaprio’s performance. Why is this? Have his unforgettable performances in films such as The Aviator and Inception caused us to set his standard too high?

So, I restate — do we truly appreciate DiCaprio?