West Side Story
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: Tony Kushner, Arthur Laurents (original author)
Starring: Rache Zegler, Ansel Elgort (bleh…), Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Rita Moreno, Josh Rivera, Iris Menas, Brian d’Arcy james, Corey Stoll
Reason for watching: A remake of the original West Side Story and Oscar’s bait movie. Of course, I saw this.
Number of times I’ve watched it: first-time viewing
***
I am not one to look forward to a remake of a movie, especially if the original movie was already good. Treading on something that was already done well just seems like a fool’s errand. Comparisons will be made that will be biased towards the original because of the place it holds in a cultural zeitgeist. It is a difficult hill to climb, but there are successes. Think of the recent Planet of the Apes movies. They brought a more modern action feel to a much older story that was in need of a facelift (plus anything would look good compared to that Tim Burton remake from 2001). Now you try to remake a classic like West Side Story, and you could be in a world of trouble if you cannot do something spectacular. But this movie is beyond spectacular.
West Side Story is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet based in the slums of 1960s New York City. Rival gangs the Sharks (Puerto-Rican-based) and the Jets (Irish-based) are constantly getting into scuffs and skirmishes with each other. At a school dance one night though, Maria (Rachel Zegler), the little sister of the Sharks leader Bernardo (David Alvarez), meets Tony (Ansel Elgort), the right-hand man of Riff (Mike Faist), the leader of the Jets. Maria and Tony fall head over heels for each other at first sight, but their very interest puts the two gangs on a collision course that will end in an all-out brawl. In order to avoid the bloodshed, Tony and Maria plan to run away together. But their plans do not go as expected. Trusts will be betrayed. Blows will be exchanged. And two young lovers will try to escape New York with their lives.
Whenever you have a movie with Steven Spielberg at the helm, you know you will be watching a well-shot movie. The framing of old-timey NYC is excellent. You can feel the history and majesty of America’s greatest city while knowing how run down the streets have become. In addition, Spielberg uses some athletic cinematography to capture the skill put on during the dance scenes. Characters capture our attention as they flow in and out of a shot with ease, grace, and power. The costume and set designs add to the beauty of what we get to witness on screen as well.
A movie filling this big of shoes would need to have strong performances from its cast, and this remake delivers there too. Zegler has a youthful look about her as Maria that works well as the doe-eyed Juliet of our story. Portraying a great sense of wonder, you feel pulled in by her story to find love in a complicated and difficult world for a young girl. Alvarez shows off some tough guy chops as Maria’s older brother, Bernardo. You can tell this man means business with every word he says. Conversely, Ariana DeBose gets to have a lot of fun as Bernardo’s exuberant and charming girlfriend, Anita. While the boys get to cut their chops singing about brawls, she puts the audience at ease by talking about the joys of America and lighting up the screen every time she is on it. Faist gives a strong performance as Riff as well, but what else should you expect from the original Connor Murphy of Dear Evan Hansen? The man has a voice for days and the best footwork this side of the NBA.
Throughout the movie, there is a strong incorporation of the themes of violence and revenge. We get hints from the members of the Jets that they have fought with other gangs before, and now they are facing down just another rival that will come and go in the Sharks. A cycle of violence like that is sure to have its victims, and boy does this movie have them in spades. Every action one gang takes against another is met with retaliation. It escalates further and further until it reaches a point of no return and ultimate loss. By the end, you hope that our characters understand how much their actions are affecting those around them.
One elephant in the room that must be mentioned that drags this movie down is the casting of Ansel Elgort as Tony. Is he a terrible actor? No. He actually far exceeded my expectations in this role, but his presence is an upsetting one. Last year, Elgort was accused multiple times of both sexual assault and harassment from victims who all claimed to be underage at the time of the encounters. Since then Elgort has denied the allegations and no known legal action has come of it. Regardless of whether or not he is guilty of these actions (which I believe there has to be some truth to since there are multiple victims with similar assault and harassment stories), his presence casts a shadow over the movie. Perhaps had he not been featured as much as he was, I would have enjoyed the movie even more.
Regardless of Elgort’s involvement, this is one of the year’s best films. The quality technical aspects and high-level performance from the cast tell an amazing story about love, loss, and the dangers of violence and revenge.
9/10
Until I see another one.