How does Baz Luhrmann transform the character Romeo into a contemporary context in Romeo + Juliet?

One of the most evident ways in which Luhrmann makes Romeo
more contemporary is by casting Leonardo DiCaprio.  In this inclusion, Romeo comes
across as more contemporary, more "hip."  Additionally, Romeo needing to take drugs
prior to meeting Juliet helps to establish a more modern context.  Contemporary viewers
can understand the Montague and Capulet feud in the "crews" within each.  Luhrmann makes
it more contemporary, almost like gangs competing for turf and this connects to the
modern viewer.  The physicality of Romeo in terms of his affections for Juliet is also
more contemporary, as he leads her into an elevator for their first kiss right off the
bat.  I think that the passionate nature of the kiss, itself, is appealing to
contemporary viewers.  While the passion that is there is evident, there is a
sensuousness that is indicative of a contemporary and modern audience.  I think that in
this very instant- the kiss- there is a direct and conscious appeal to the younger
audience to view Shakespeare in a different light.  Nothing in the text would come close
to embodying the intensity of this kiss on screen and for it to happen so early on in
the film is a means to grab a hold of the younger and more contemporary
viewer.