When you look at Steven Spielberg’s incredible and diverse career, it’s kind of hard to believe he has yet to make a musical, especially since he’s even stated before that he wanted to. His new take on WEST SIDE STORY changes that, and is actually based on the 1957 Broadway play rather than the 1961 movie, though it does bring back Rita Moreno (she won an Oscar for her performance in the original film), here playing a new and different role. The cast includes Ansel Elgort (BABY DRIVER), Rachel Zegler (as “Maria”), Ariana DeBose, Ana Isabelle, Corey Stoll, Brian d’Arcy James (as “Officer Krupke”), and Curtiss Cook. The 1957 Broadway musical was originally written by Arthur Laurents and featured music by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, who sadly just passed away.
If you’re not familiar with the story of… uh… WEST SIDE STORY, involves fierce territorial rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City. There are two factions, the white American gang called The Jets, led by Riff (Mike Faist), and the growing Puerto Rican residents who call their gang The Sharks, led by Bernardo (David Alvarez). Bernardo lives with his younger sister Maria (Rachel Zegler) and lover Anita (Ariana DeBose), and he hopes for Maria to meet a nice Puerto Rican boy. Riff can’t stand those from Puerto Rico, seeing them as a threat to his beloved American ways, and misses his buddy and former alpha to The Jets, Tony (Ansel Elgort), who just got out of prison for letting his anger get the better of him, and is trying to behave himself. At the school dance, Tony meets Maria, and they fall for each other hard and fast. As they struggle to be together, the rival gangs begin to use their forbidden love as an excuse to declare war with each other… all while singing and dancing.
I found myself thoroughly impressed by Steven Spielberg’s WEST SIDE STORY, even if I knew pretty much exactly what to expect. I imagine the studio is hoping this will find a connection with the next generation of musical lovers, perhaps even those who have never seen the original film. Some might say Spielberg simply made what we’ve already seen, just made it much glossier and more stylish, but what surprised me most about this new take is how topical and strangely relevant it is to today’s societal issues. It’s fair to say we’ve come a long way since 1957, but we’re still dealing with issues of racism and bigotry, so it’s not too much of a stretch to connect the themes here to what we’re dealing with presently. The songs by Stephen Sondheim still have a definite charm to them, and are complimented nicely but composer David Newman’s score. The song and dance numbers and grand and spectacularly choreographed. I was particularly impressed with the “In America” number, which Ariana DeBose is exceptional headlining. Mike Faist is also quite good as Riff, the impatient and frustrated leader of The Jets. But the big standout here is newcomer Rachel Zegler, who has an honest sincerity in her performance that is revelatory. Watching her perform is not unlike the wow factor that came with seeing Jennifer Hudson own the screen in DREAMGIRLS. Everyone in the film is terrific, clearly giving it 110% in their respective performances. And you have to appreciate seeing Rita Moreno, at 90, still belting out classic songs with the voice of an angel.
The only major fault of the film is one that’s all to common lately with movies, and that’s the run time, which at two hours and 36 minutes definitely feels long and at times overindulgent. I like a good musical, but at some point you feel like you’ve heard enough singing. By the time the film reached the “I Feel Pretty” segment, which is late in the proceedings, I was really getting a bit exhausted, and there was still more to go. While the presentation of WEST SIDE STORY is almost always impressive, it does sometime feel a tad tedious, but the breathtaking photography by cinematographer Janusz Kaminski helps make every frame of the production a work of art. This was obviously a very personal project for Spielberg, even ending with a dedication to his father, so you have to respect his effort to see it through. I just have to wonder if today’s moviegoers will appreciate the work that went into this. It’s a beautiful film for sure, and a smart and effective take on the classic source material, I just hope it finds the audience it deserves.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
