West Side Story (2021)
“Life matters even more than love.” – Valentina.
West Side Story (2021)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Tony Kushner (screenplay), Arthur Laurents (stage play)
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose
MARIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
West Side Story is probably my second favourite musical, and it took watching Steven Spielberg’s remake of the 1961 classic to remind me of that fact. There are so many certified bangers throughout (‘Gee, Officer Krupke’, ‘Maria,’ ‘I Feel Pretty’) that I couldn’t help but sing along, and the vibrant sets drag you into the screen.
Adapting a generational classic is always a challenge, but Spielberg maintained the manic energy of the original while adding his patented cinematic flair. Classic long-shots (‘the Spielberg Oner’), impressive sets, and the use of unobtrusive greenscreen helped create the world Spielberg wanted, and it looks better than the original.
A talented cast carry the famous musical numbers to new heights, particularly David Alverez (Bernado) and the Best Supporting Actress-nommed Ariana DeBose (Anita).
Not much else to say here. The racially-charged story is still a bit heavy handed at times, and it’s over 150 minutes long, so if you don’t like the original OR musical theatre you won’t enjoy this. For example, my girlfriend loved the ‘funky’ cars and outfits, but was otherwise pretty bored.
But I personally really enjoyed this, and thought Spielberg did a fucking good job adapting a much-celebrated classic.
…Too bad it fell $230 million short of breaking even. Ouch.
Rating: 8/10