The slapstick gymnastics of this film's rendering of Gee Officer Krupke seem to go on forever, but the moment the star-crossed lovers actually cross stars zooms past all too quickly. But their actual meet-cute, the fulcrum to this whole story, is remarkably slight. This version leans on backstory for the pair that might suggest the two see in each other the solution to a bigger yearning, for escape or redemption. It's been said before, but those kids really do fall fast. Ultimately, the central pairing of Tony and Maria needs to burn with intensity to sustain the whole thing. You can't open a film with a literal shot of a wrecking ball and then end it without seeing where everything falls. But Spielberg and writer Tony Kushner expand and add larger themes of gentrification or identity that the finale has no space for. I'm not suggesting anyone bodge a happy ending onto a classic. The loss and heartbreak are keenly felt, but the longer it goes on the more it veers toward melodrama.
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Life, then death.Īs the story deflates, scenes get repetitive as characters visit each other, on what increasingly look like movie sets, to cry a bit. The first half is hope, the second half loss. The second act here is leached of music and movement, fitting with the emotional devastation. But the contrast between the thrilling first half and the bleak second half is so stark. I know, I know, Romeo and Juliet and all that. Of course, the ending is kind of a downer. Even without subtitles, the crucial sentiments are unmistakable. Playing Puerto Rican immigrants building a new life in New York with ambition and panache, their characters often converse in Spanish. The film features a star-making performance from luminous Rachel Zegler as lovelorn Maria, backed up by scene-stealing turns from Hamilton star Ariana DeBose and from Rita Moreno, one of the few actual Puerto Ricans in the original Broadway show and the 1961 film. It's joyous, sincere and intoxicating stuff, especially in these darkest of times. Songs like America explode off the screen, and even the most intimate of conversations is picked out in lavish primary colors. Spielberg and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski pulls out the visual stops in the first half of the film, with flowing camera movement and thrilling production design providing a vast and textured playground for each showstopping song or dance number. Dancing and singing ensue on fire escapes and subways, but violent delights have violent ends when the story is inspired by William Shakespeare's lovelorn tragedy Romeo and Juliet. She's Puerto Rican, he's an all-American juvenile delinquent, and neither of their extended families is happy to see them together.
Self-destructive Jet leader Riff wants to recruit his old pal Tony for a big rumble with the Jets, but all Tony wants to do is make eyes at Maria, the beautiful sister of Shark leader Bernardo. It's New York in the 1950s and the Jets and the Sharks are rival gangs building up to a winner-takes-all battle. West Side Story is in theaters now, having opened Friday, Dec. This West Side Story is an utter visual delight, filled with eye-popping color and heart-pounding movement, compelling characters whirling and flashing across a richly drawn city. But boy is that second half going to be a shock.įor those who love the classic show and its bold, brassy tunes, a big part of the enjoyment (or not) of any new version is comparing it with the changing nuances of previous versions, from the 1957 Broadway show to the 1961 movie musical to your high school's wobbily warbled performance.īut even if you ignore any previous knowledge - I admit I'm hazy about whether I've ever actually seen it all the way through - this 2021 retelling more than stands on its own two feet.
A whole new generation is likely to discover this timeless romance in the form of Steven Spielberg's riotously colorful new movie version, and happily it's likely to inspire new fans with a dynamic, exhilarating slice of cinema. Pretend, just for a second, that you've never seen West Side Story.