West Side Story
Ten Second Review: A glaring oversight stops this version from becoming, in my opinion, the definitive viewing of Bernstein and Sondheim’s masterpiece.
I’m not above saying that sometimes my biases get the better of me. I think Beigel Bake is better than xxx, I think Diet Coke tastes better and my mum’s pesto is definitely the best. I try to be reasonable, but some things we just believe. I believe that the 1961 movie of West Side Story is incredible. It has a special place in my heart and I believed it had no need to be remade.
Did you catch that extra “d” that time?
West Side Story tells the Romeo and Juliet story of two star crossed lovers from different sides of a turf war. Tony (Ansel Elgort) is best friends with the leader of the white American Jets, Maria (Rachel Zegler) is the sister of the leader of the Puerto Rican Sharks. When the pair’s affections stoke the fire of a turf war, it may be down to them to decide at what cost their love will come.
I try not to prejudge films QA, but I really willed myself to not like this film. “Why are they remaking a classic? It’s perfect!” I went expecting to scoff at what I assumed would be a mistake. To quote myself, earlier this year, “ I would dread to see a modern retelling of West Side Story”. As I said, I do try to be reasonable and part of that is admitting when you are flat out wrong. This is one of those times.
The music remains phenomenal, it’s a character of its own and I truly think it might be some of the best musical scoring ever written down. The words are again nothing less than sheer classic. Here we find an ensemble that do both justice and direction that lets the story sing in a whole new way. Staging, design and shot construction that adds a new layer of beauty to what is already one my favourite musicals of all time. Special mentions must go to Rachel Zegler’s Maria, Ariana DeBose’s Anita, Mike Faist’s Griff, David Alvarez’s Bernardo and Rita Moreno’s Valentina. In an ensemble full of great performances they still stand out.
My reservations about this new version were misguided by a gut reaction to protect something I loved, but they were also misguided given how I have often defended some of the decisions in comic book films. If this new version isn’t your favourite, that’s fine, it means you have a favourite. If I had seen it and not enjoyed it, it would not have been the end of the world, I could still think of my favourite stage adaptations I’ve seen and the original film version. They would be just as good as before.
The way in which this film managed to elevate its source material to a new level put me in mind of Into The Spiderverse. It’s the understanding of the medium in which its story originates and the understanding of the medium it’s currently being represented. In the same way that Into The Spiderverse blended elements of both mediums to make something greater than either alone, this new West Side Story did the same. It has parts that feel like a stage set and parts that feel like they could only be in a blockbuster movie. It respects the source material without sacrificing making something new.
This is not to say the film has no faults. While I understand the addition of the new song, One Hand, One Heart, it dragged in way just having the scene itself may not have, but this can be forgiven given how great the resultant film is. I would, however, say that the film’s major problem is Elgort. If I were to pick a place that the original film could have immediately been improved, Tony would be it. Sadly this remained a low point. I would be comfortable saying that the two biggest faults on the side of the filmmakers were the initial casting of Elgort and then subsequently not recasting him when they saw the quality of his performance in comparison to the rest of the ensemble. There are clearly several Jets that they could have immediately substituted in.
This really is one of those films that I could sit and talk about for a long time. It has so much to unpick and unpack. From the timelessness and yet timely poignancy of its story, to the filmmakers ability to give a richness to the period aesthetic, there are so many levels to enjoy. It’s a must see if you’re a fan and a must see if open to becoming one. It might be a miss if you really don’t like musicals.
