I'm starting my review early because I want to express some pre-watch thoughts. When the project was first announced, I was, like everyone else, skeptical of a new adaptation of such a well-known musical. Ansel Elgort sells me. I hear Rachel Zegler is extraordinary. They worked Rita Moreno in. It's got a killer supporting cast of stage actors. I consider Spielberg one of contemporary cinema's finest.
Movie musicals have been mostly hit this year so far, and I've gone out of my way to see the majority at the cinema. Annette, In the Heights, tick, tick... BOOM!, Encanto and Cyrano, simply exceptional. Everybody's Talking About Jamie was good. I even found enjoyment in the largely despised Cinderella. Of the ones I saw on a big screen, the only miss was Dear Evan Hansen. No songs, good or bad, can save that toxic, sociopathic plot.
Perhaps the best way to go about this review having now seen it is a breakdown by changes, performance and musical number. Pulitzer winner and Spielberg collaborator Tony Kushner wrote the screenplay and in doing so made some alterations to the 1957 libretto by Arthur Laurents, who would go on to work with Sondheim on later projects.
I've always been a fan of Ansel Elgort, all the way back to his supporting role in the 2013 remake of Carrie. He has this natural charm that makes whatever character he's playing like he's not acting at all. The fact that this 27 year old is supposed to be 17-18 works because of his young looks. This incarnation of Tony is on parole following a year in state prison for nearly killing a rival gang member. He's on a redemptive path, challenged by his best friend/spiritual brother Riff and the old Jet lifestyle.
Mike Faist shows true star power in Riff, the leader of the Jets. A cocky, arrogant lad used to his path down the road of destructive behavior, he's the yin to Tony's yang. The rest of the Jets are a playful but when necessary serious bunch, my standouts being Patrick Higgins (Baby John) and the non-binary Iris Menas as Anybodys, a character previously portrayed as a tomboy but here as a transman.
Rachel Zegler is the real powerhouse in the film. This being her film acting debut is truly extraordinary. She encapsulates the seeming naïvete and true awareness in María. Her voice is off the charts. Like it's mind blowing. She can only go up from here. Anything else would be an insult.
Stage veteran Ariana DeBose takes on the role Rita Moreno played in the 1961 film, Anita, big sister of sorts to María and girlfriend of Bernardo. Any iteration of Anita requires a certain degree of poisonous wit and deeply hidden insecurity. She's my pick for any Best Supporting Actress award.
Spielberg has always wanted to do a musical. How it took this long is a mystery but he's done it and it's one of the most glorious movie musicals in a really long time. The way each song is shot is something to behold. Longtime collaborator and two-time Oscar winner Janusz Kaminski has that eye no one could possibly mirror. My favorite song from the musical, "America", is also my top choreographed number here. It's neck in neck with "Dance at the Gym".
West Side Story is easily one of the best films of the year, and very high on my personal top 10. Its 156 minute runtime barely felt like two hours. The pace is so remarkable and there's never a dull moment. If there's one thing to experience in a cinema this holiday season, especially if you're not a comic book person like myself, make it Spielberg's West Side Story. One of his best.
Movie musicals have been mostly hit this year so far, and I've gone out of my way to see the majority at the cinema. Annette, In the Heights, tick, tick... BOOM!, Encanto and Cyrano, simply exceptional. Everybody's Talking About Jamie was good. I even found enjoyment in the largely despised Cinderella. Of the ones I saw on a big screen, the only miss was Dear Evan Hansen. No songs, good or bad, can save that toxic, sociopathic plot.
Perhaps the best way to go about this review having now seen it is a breakdown by changes, performance and musical number. Pulitzer winner and Spielberg collaborator Tony Kushner wrote the screenplay and in doing so made some alterations to the 1957 libretto by Arthur Laurents, who would go on to work with Sondheim on later projects.
I've always been a fan of Ansel Elgort, all the way back to his supporting role in the 2013 remake of Carrie. He has this natural charm that makes whatever character he's playing like he's not acting at all. The fact that this 27 year old is supposed to be 17-18 works because of his young looks. This incarnation of Tony is on parole following a year in state prison for nearly killing a rival gang member. He's on a redemptive path, challenged by his best friend/spiritual brother Riff and the old Jet lifestyle.
Mike Faist shows true star power in Riff, the leader of the Jets. A cocky, arrogant lad used to his path down the road of destructive behavior, he's the yin to Tony's yang. The rest of the Jets are a playful but when necessary serious bunch, my standouts being Patrick Higgins (Baby John) and the non-binary Iris Menas as Anybodys, a character previously portrayed as a tomboy but here as a transman.
Rachel Zegler is the real powerhouse in the film. This being her film acting debut is truly extraordinary. She encapsulates the seeming naïvete and true awareness in María. Her voice is off the charts. Like it's mind blowing. She can only go up from here. Anything else would be an insult.
Stage veteran Ariana DeBose takes on the role Rita Moreno played in the 1961 film, Anita, big sister of sorts to María and girlfriend of Bernardo. Any iteration of Anita requires a certain degree of poisonous wit and deeply hidden insecurity. She's my pick for any Best Supporting Actress award.
Spielberg has always wanted to do a musical. How it took this long is a mystery but he's done it and it's one of the most glorious movie musicals in a really long time. The way each song is shot is something to behold. Longtime collaborator and two-time Oscar winner Janusz Kaminski has that eye no one could possibly mirror. My favorite song from the musical, "America", is also my top choreographed number here. It's neck in neck with "Dance at the Gym".
West Side Story is easily one of the best films of the year, and very high on my personal top 10. Its 156 minute runtime barely felt like two hours. The pace is so remarkable and there's never a dull moment. If there's one thing to experience in a cinema this holiday season, especially if you're not a comic book person like myself, make it Spielberg's West Side Story. One of his best.