Dec 26, 20213 min read

West Side Story (2021): Rivalry Reborn

Updated: Feb 20, 2023

Reviews by:

@augustkellerwrites
@ryan_the_nixon
@jii_nius_11

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West Side Story is a love letter to classic filmmaking. The marriage of Spielberg's direction with a vintage musical is a match made in heaven because his unique elevation of motion and energy perfectly serves the extravagant dance numbers. The imagery is dense with movement and meaning, but never overcrowded. Also, the production design is detailed and gives an authentic sense of grandeur. And, of course, the music is a driving force because, among other things, it contributes heavily to the time period. Overall, West Side Story is a cinematic burst that will captivate viewers with its technical craft.

On the flipside, however, West Side Story is emotionally flat. The writing deserves credit for its original music and important themes, but the core love story is, unfortunately, underdeveloped. Surprisingly, it is this centerpiece of the film that is its weakest link. Tony and Maria just aren't quite fleshed out enough as protagonists. Meanwhile, their romance is unbelievably accelerated, jumping from "introduction" to "love" to "risking it all" in just a few scenes together. Ultimately, the filmmaking and performances of West Side Story make this forgivable, but this fundamental limitation holds the film back from being unquestionably great.

Writing: 7/10

Direction: 9/10

Cinematography: 9/10

Acting: 8/10

Editing: 8/10

Sound: 7/10

Score/Soundtrack: 9/10

Production Design: 9/10

Casting: 8/10

Effects: 7/10

Overall Score: 8.1/10

For more of my work: https://guskeller.wixsite.com/moviefilmreviews

By @augustkellerwrites

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2021

12A

Director: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Rachel Zegler, Ansel Elgort, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Rita Moreno, Brian D'Arcy James, Corey Stoll, Mike Faist, Josh Andres Rivera, Iris Menas etc.

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. I was underwhelmed with this movie, but there was still some fantastic moments.

The cinematography and set pieces were truly something special truly bringing the time period to life. The character conflict between the two different gangs was strong. The dance numbers and soundtrack were incredible and definitely the strongest element of the film. The performances were very strong. Particularly from Rachel Zegler and Mike Faist. But, for me the star making performance was from Ariana DeBose who was incredible. The directing from Steven Spielberg was incredible, with tremendous amounts of respect and love for the source material and it really showed on screen. The themes on culture, ethnicity and family were great. The chemistry between most of the cast was strong. Some of the humour was great, with amazing representation for the Puerto recan and trans community. The plot development was strong and the intensity of some scenes particularly with the character deaths was great.

However, a lot of the characters relationships felt underdeveloped and for me there was a lack of chemistry between Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler because of this, but Rachel tried her best. There was a lot of illogical and unlikeable character decisions that yes were in the original but just not executed well here. The pacing, particularly in the final act was a big problem.

Overall, West Side Story is fantastically directed by Stephen Spielberg. Who maintained a respect for the original source material. And has truly outstanding visuals and musical numbers. Plus, Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose offer star making performances. But the underdeveloped characters, and a dull and bland final act that didn't really seem to end cut this film short despite its impressive achievements.

Overall score 77/100

By @ryan_the_nixon

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