Ladies & gentlemen, as you may recall, I rewatched, and finally reviewed one of the most classic movie musicals from the 1960s by the name of West Side Story. Well, today, we talk about the remake that was directed by legendary director Steven Spielberg (whom many of us may know for directing films like the Jurassic Park films (1993, 1997, and 2001 respectively), E.T. (1982), and Minority Report (2002), among many other films. So here we go with a review of the 2021 remake of one of the most amazing musicals, West Side Story.
Plot: When two gangs that live in New York City, known as the Jets And Sharks, decide to declare on each other as to who gets to rule over which blocks, and streets, it becomes tough for the people who live there, especially the authorities, along with old friends that were former members of the gangs. So, the question remains, will the Jets, and Sharks remain bitter enemies, or will things change with the two rivals?
Well, Steven Spielberg does know, for the most part, how to recapture the spirit of the old classic. Yes, there were still some flaws in this film, like the old one. However, there were plenty of good things to like about this newer West Side Story. First of all. It was good to flesh out one, or two characters a little more than they seemed to be in the original 1961 classic. Also, the film did a good job of remaining as true to the original classic as possible. It’s understandable that some people may have complaints about recent remakes like the Beauty & The Beast one, or even the more recent Lion King remake acting like shot-for-shot remakes. But come on! When films like those, or the older West Side Story are so beloved, how could one not try to keep as many of the old elements of movies like those as possible, as well as maybe add some newer material in? And if people have complaints like that about this newer West Side Story, well, that’s their problem. Anyway, Spielberg does a great job of capturing the idea of what life was like during the time that either the old, or newer West Side Story took place. In addition to all of this, how could you not like hearing the classic songs of this story all o we again? One final element to mention about the positives in this film is that the beginning doesn’t seem to drag like the beginning of the original story.
Still, the original classic does end up being slightly superior to this newer version of West Side Story. First of all, while a lot of the acting was good, there was some acting that didn’t seem to be all that great. While you watch this film, you will likely find yourself thinking that there were some actors/actresses in the original film that did a better job of showing raw emotion than when it came to certain ones playing certain characters in this version. Also, there were one, or two numbers in this film that didn’t seem to fit as well as in the original film. Oh, and there were one, or two characters that didn’t seem to make as much sense as far their motives went. Speaking of the characters, there were one, or two that didn’t seem as memorable this time around like in the 1961 film. Finally, the ending seemed a little strange this time around, maybe a little more so than the ending that we, the audience, got in the original classic.
And that’s my review for the newer 2021 West Side Story. No, it doesn’t quite live up to it’s predecessor. However, the newer West Side Story is still worth checking out, despite having another flaw, or two more than the original. I would say still see it if you haven’t, because Spielberg does a good job of trying to remain as true to the spirit of the original film as possible.
Final Grade: B
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 