Perhaps in an effort to cater to a younger audience, Carlo Carlei's take on Romeo and Juliet lacks the maturity and intensity of the famous forbidden love story.

In Shakespeare's play, the female protagonist -- Juliet, the daughter of the House of Capulet -- is barely a teenage at the age of 13 but exuded a maturity beyond her years. Romeo, descendent of their rival and bitter enemy, the Monatgues, is older, though his exact age is not specified in the text.

Romeo & Juliet hits screens on Friday with a screenplay by Downton Abbey's Julian Fellowes and a cast led by Douglas Booth, 21, as Romeo and True Grit's Hailee Steinfeld, 16, as Juliet. In the 1996 Romeo + Juliet, directed by Baz Luhrmann. Leonardo DiCaprio was in his early 20s when he made the movie while co-star Claire Danes was 16 or 17 -- and both of them were able to convey the necessary sophistication their characters were given by Shakespeare.

In 16th-century Verona, romance blossoms on first sight -- literally -- between the lovers. The breathtaking Italian palazzos, gardens and frescos, specifically inside Juliet's home, nicely set off several strong performances from the adult cast members.

"Adult cast members" because, regrettably, they were the highlights of the film and not the lead stars. Damian Lewis of Homeland is agile, passionate and overall captivating as Juliet's loving but at the same time stern dad. Lesley Manville is a funny Nurse, inadvertently getting the audience to laugh with lines like, "I must say, you have good taste in men. His body..."

Ed Westwick is a mean and brilliant Tybalt ("I hate the word peace") fully equipped with a believable sneer look on his face and anger in his tone at all times. Paul Giamatti gains our love and empathy as the Friar whose wanted to help but whose plans only result in the demise of characters.

He too brings comedic relief to the script in his delivery.

"Disaster follows you, you must be married to calamity."

Though being bestowed the honor of playing such timeless characters, Booth and Steinfeld crashed: they have no depth and merely gaze at one another far too many times and for too long (change scene?).

Romeo & Juliet comes out in theaters Friday, Oct. 11.