An adaptation of the 1957 musical, “West Side Story” explores forbidden love and the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds.
The long-awaited remake of “West Side Story” is finally here, 64 years after its predecessor. This timeless love story follows the character of Tony who is a part of the Jets Gang and Maria who is associated with the Sharks Gang and their forbidden love. The Jets, who are born New Yorkers, and the Sharks, who are Peurto Rican, are in an all-out war for control of the turf. When the two gangs find out about Maria and Tony, they schedule a fight which ends in the deaths of the leaders of each group.
This riveting color musical is directed by non-other than the great Steven Spielberg. As usual, Spielberg pulled out all the stops. I love that every person in the Sharks is Puerto Rican, it is a nice change from the original 1962 gang just being white men in brown make-up. This made the film more authentic and gave it more life. If I didn’t recognize Ansel Elgort, who played Tony, I would have believed this film came right out of the ’60s. Spielberg did an amazing job recreating the look and feel of that era. I couldn’t find any information as to what cinematographer Janusz Kaminski used but the look of it reminded me of what Rachel Morrison used in the film “Fruitvale Station”. I would not be surprised if this movie received an Oscar nomination, just like “La La Land.”
Ansel Elgort did well as the suave lead New Yorker. Even though his acting was great, I can’t help but compare him to Andrew Garfield after just seeing “tick, tick…BOOM!” last month. Elgort’s singing wasn’t as effortless as Garfield’s but that doesn’t mean it was bad, it was just noticeable. On the other hand, Rachel Zegler, who played Maria, was phenomenal. Her singing was absolutely beautiful and I hope other studios pick her up for other films because her talent should not be wasted.
Even with its unbelievable and predictable plot, the movie is still a joy to watch. You will easily fall in love with the characters and the music. If you enjoyed the original “West Side Story,” this is definitely one you cannot miss.
Available on Digital HD March 2nd, and 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™ and DVD March 15th
