Late in his career, Steven Spielberg continues to evolve as a director as he releases his long awaited remake of the 1961 classic musical film, West Side Story.
Landing in theaters this weekend, his latest release abandons the sci -fi, historical, and dramatic spectacles that have defined much of his career for a purely wholesome retelling of the story that pits the Jets and Sharks against each other in a battle for gangland city turf.
Spielberg's vision defies modern cinema as he trades in big budgeted visual effects spectacles and action set pieces for absolutely amazing set design, a wondrous palette of nostalgia laced color choices, stunning cinematography and a cast of actors that truly understand how to deliver song and dance along with a timeless story of love, death, and unbridled romance. West Side Story (2021) is a time capsule back to a better time in cinema when the importance of storytelling relied an actors that truly understand their craft. The primary leads, Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler render great vocal interpretations of the songs, have a controlled method of dance, and both evolve into Tony and Maria with effortless performances.
Sixty years later, the story at hand is still completely relevant. The core idea of bigotry and hate among different cultures is one that remains just as important today. This major plot point is not wasted on Spielberg's version of West Side Story. The director takes aim and fully understands the material he was working with to re-adapt it for a modern generation and an audience that has potentially never seen the original. Although the film still remains in the same era as the original, the commentary perfectly fits in a time when our own country is still at odds with foreigners coming to live in the U.S.. Spielberg never beats his audience over the head with politics, but instead takes a long, hard inside look at how we could all be more accepting of those that might be a little different than us. At the core, we're all the same and this West Side Story really does a phenomenal job of highlighting that.
Some of the best parts of this version are the amazing choices in set, art, and costume design. Heading to a run down part of town, it feels like a modern armageddon has taken place as developers doze the landscape to make way for newer, uppity high rises for rich folks and the debonair. The Sharks and Jets infiltrate the decrepit zone battling for terrain as the police are trying to pave way for a new set of buildings in the city. Again, this hits so highly at a time when we see gentrification taking hold in so many big cities across our nation. Even at an extended run time of two hours and thirty six minutes, West Side Story maintains our attention with skillful direction, a timeless story, and an Ansel Elgort that's a near Marlon Brando clone.
As you've probably read already, some of the song and dance routines do not have the luster of the original 1961 film, but that's to be expected. Often times, things don't live up to our expectations when we're comparing a classic to a remake. However, the vocal performances overall are well done and the routines feel like they've been given a welcomed update set against the backdrop of a hate fueled gang war.
And we never talked about Rita Moreno. At 91 years old, the actress returns to the world that built her career. And she absolutely shines even as the movie tends to wear out some of its welcome.
Spielberg has never failed us. And he's not starting now. Despite some long winded sections and some muted character development, this is one that needs to be seen in a theater. Come for the movie. Stay for Moreno.
-CG
