Movie Review: West Side Story

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A+

An incredible adaption of the classic musical that holds its own with the beloved 1961 film version. 

This movie is incredibly cinematic. There is not a second of film wasted and every shot is incredibly beautiful and breath taking to look at. Director Steven Spielberg and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (who have worked together on such films as Schindler's List (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998) and War Horse (2011)) are both at the top of their game with this film. In fact, the film is so cinematic that it is hard to think that this was a stage play at one time. Justin Peck's choreography is equally impressive. These dance numbers truly come to life. They at once feel larger than life and like something truly spectacular, yet at the same time, they are of full service to the story and help perfectly to define the emotional center of each of these scenes. None of this copies the 1961 film and in fact the musical numbers have a unique look and feel all their own. Still at the same time they each have just as much cinematic and emotional power as they did in the previous film. Because of this the movie doesn't feel like a remake but rather a retelling of a great story. Speaking of the story, there is a reason this story has lived on through these past few decades and has been steadily performed as a stage play. Based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, this story is just as touch and powerful today as it was when it was first written. Though the love story in West Side Story is beautiful, the play has never been just about the romance. The deeper themes of racism, poverty, senseless violence, hatred and the pointlessness of gangs have always ringed through and spoken to people of any age and any generation that has come around since the play was originally written. This movie captures all of that perfectly. The love story is touching and completely believable and the deeper themes are told in an intelligent and powerful way. All this touched my heart deeply as I watched the film and my eyes were transfixed to the screen unable to look away. Having seen the previous movie and the stage play, of course I knew what was going to happen in the end, but my emotional connection with this new version of the story was so strong that I still found myself overwhelmed with emotion many times throughout this movie. I 100% admit to even crying at the end. I cannot remember the last time I was this emotionally torn and moved by a newly released movie as I was here. The cast is also excellent. I was especially impressed with Rachel Zegler as Maria. This may be her first movie but you could never tell it from her performance here. Ariana DeBose as Anita was perfectly good. She captures the energy and feistiness needed for this character, but she also captures the more dramatic scenes with such an intensity, that I don't see how anyone could not be moved by it. Rita Moreno (who played Anita in the 1961 film) has a smaller role, but she is fantastic in it. 

As someone who loves the 1961 movie, I was skeptical when I saw there was going to be another West Side Story movie, but I needn't be. This is an incredible movie that can easily hold its own with 1961 film. In short this is one of those films that makes a cinema fan fall in love with movies all over again.