When you see something so beloved and cherished by millions of people be remade, the pressure is certainly on in many ways for the remake of West Side Story to be a success.
Does it need to be remade? What else can a near perfect film do to improve? Will this story still appeal to the next generation?
For me, I think it's a brave choice to remake a film that is important to multiple industries, treasured by so many and seen as a landmark and incredibly influential.
But when I saw it was Steven Spielberg directing this, I knew it was in safe hands. Spielberg needs no introduction and has a back catalogue that has seen him triumph in almost every genre possible from the late 1970's onwards.
However I did remain sceptical, as while he has made some well crafted pieces in the last 10 years or so. None have had that instant magic like a lot of his work from the 80's and 90's.
Those worries were quashed fairly quickly as Spielberg has showed everyone he can still make movie magic.
It was like I was watching the original all over again. They knew what to not change and the changes made never detracted from what this story is about. Some changes gave the familiar bits new life and the few necessary touches improved certain aspects that now feel dated.
I was also watching stars being made in the form of multiple cast members making their on-screen debuts. It was like watching those musicals of yesteryear where the cast have more a theatre background that can also have that natural transition into the medium of film.
By the end of it, I was thoroughly satisfied and felt as moved as I did when seeing the original. This remains an effective tragedy.
The cast is incredible in every way. It has a very strong ensemble full of newcomers with the right background that reminded of those classic musicals with more of a musical and theatre background than film. But there is also the odd familiar face that was nice to see.
From a physical perspective, the dance sequences are insanely good. The drama they bring to each set-piece was spot on and helped the music come alive like it did back in 1961. But also like the original, the acting side also shines.
Ansel Elgort was good in the lead, showed off his natural charisma well, looked the part and gave his character a harder edge to the original. Mike Faist had a strong presence about it and was constantly engaging. David Alvarez gave solid support and bounced off his colleagues well.
While the boys were definitely good, it was the ladies that gave us the wow factor. Rachel Zegler was great in the lead, an amazing talent and felt so in control of the screen whenever she was the centre of it. That natural innocence came through well on screen and was a great casting choice.
Ariana DeBose for me was the star of the show and deserves to be an awards contender. The power and confidence she had in every scene was incredibly engaging and vital for such an important character. DeBose as well as Zegler have potential to be huge stars. Both gave wonderful breakthrough performances.
It's no surprise that the technical side is absolutely fantastic. The way it is shot and the tint it is given makes it looks like it was filmed back in that time period whilst also feeling new at the same time. There are even some techniques of that time that are used in this. With all of that and still feeling completely new is quite an impressive skill to have and that just made the viewing so much more memorable and impactful.
The explosive colours used in the palette as well as the costumes gave this film such life and soul, especially in the songs. Speaking of songs, the soundtrack is as rich and powerful as the original was. The cast gave the Leonard Bernstein score and Stephen Sondheim lyrics a new dimension and felt refreshing with the added Spielberg filmmaking style.
The sweeping cinematography by Janusz Kaminski is wonderful. You can get feel the scale and grandeur in the camerawork and he lets the cast do their thing so we can appreciate the talent and artistry.
The duration is pretty much the same as the original and it flowed really well. It never dragged for me, had a nice flow to it and had a nice variety in its cuts. It's gracefully flows when needed and it is also never afraid to be frenetic and sharp.
If I did mention any flaws, it would only be when comparing it to the original.
While I cannot quite match it to the original, it most certainly can stand alongside it. That I feel makes it fine for someone to see it without having seen the original. This is a strong portrayal of this story and Spielberg continues to show he can dab his hand at any genre and make a success.
It's constantly engaging, full of energy and drama and produced in an that classic cinematic way that you just don't get that often these days.
I did have my fears that this could have gone through the motions and just be a shot-for-shot remake that would feel hollow and lifeless. But this felt like the story was given a brand new motor for a new generation to enjoy and still be relevant.
I also liked some of the changes and additions Spielberg and his team made. They're all fairly subtle that never ruin the main themes of the film. But I felt the changes made sense in terms of the content from the original that now feel dated. Those little updates giving it a slight modern sheen to it shows why this deserved a remake.
Rating: 8/10
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