Zane's take at the Cinema's

We all have our favorite directors and it’s personally fine if one wants to pick Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino or even Christopher Nolan as the best or greatest filmmaker in Hollywood. With all due respect, the answer stops and ends at Steven Spielberg. When we look at each director’s catalogue and really study it film by film, there is no single director that’s had the kind of career that Steven Spielberg has had. When Spielberg first did Jaws, the studio took a major risk with him as the director for the project, when he hardly had the resume that he has now. Obviously, it’s famously known the production hell Jaws had, whether it’s the story of maybe the most important practical prop in all of cinema (being the shark) not functioning, Spielberg almost drowning, filming going way over schedule or the increase of the budget. Suffice to say, Jaws ended up being an immensely successful movie on both ends and some claim it to be Spielberg’s best. But what followed after Jaws is something we’ve rarely encountered in Hollywood. Spielberg was going outside of his box with every single film he put out, whether it wasRaiders of the Lost Ark, E.T, Jurassic Park or even Saving Private Ryan, each film is radically different from one another, yet somehow it still feels distinctly like a Steven Spielberg movie. When it came to the mid 2000s or early 2010s, he then shifted into more prestigious types of projects with Lincoln, War Horse and even The Post. All great movies, and clearly spoke positively to the style he brings to his stories.

He’s done it all and it was a testament on how he never needs to prove to anyone that he can’t do it all. However, he’s never tackled a musical before and if any other director was attached to direct a remake of West Side Story, it’s appropriate to have far more skepticism if someone by the name of Steven Spielberg wasn’t involved. The original West Side Story is a beloved and famously successful musical that took home 10 Oscars including Best Picture, so why remake it? The answer is simple: trust in Steve Spielberg. West Side Story is yet another masterpiece under the powerhouse of Steven Spielberg. Spielberg infuses a massive amount passion, heart, tragedy and magic with this remake in way that trumps the original. The dancing and the choreography of each sequence haven’t been this enthralling or purely entertaining in ages. There’s beautiful colors, spectacular dance numbers and tremendous performances.

Based off of the 1957 stage musical and a remake of the 1961 classic, West Side Story explores the rivalry between two gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, when two people from both gangs, Tony (Jets) and Maria (Sharks) start forming a strong and emotional connection.

At this point, there’s not doubting Spielberg, even when you think there’s a slight possibility. The man has literally and figuratively done everything and with his remake of West Side Story, he not only has such a respect for old school filmmaking, authentic production designs and dialect slurs, Spielberg beautifully reimagines a story that speaks differently to the current generation, and that’s what makes the story so resonating. Having the story of West Side Story being a huge inspiration from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the story in this remake feels bigger, grander and even stagier which manages to capture the spirit of the broadway musical, but it also speaks volumes to how great this story is even in the modern era. But the most surprising aspect in this remake is that it’s way more dense and tragic than the original, which makes it feel more epic in scope.

The filmmaking techniques in this adaptation are some of the best of the year and maybe the best Spielberg has created in years. Despite some of the settings of New York in this movie looking quite desolated and grim, the framing and construction of each sequence are first class and gorgeous lit with exotic lighting that capture the 1950s so incredibly well. While this is a straight up musical, this remake of West Side Story is a terrific construction of a period piece that almost acts as a product pulled from that time period. And with this being Spielberg’s first go at a musical, he absolutely crushes it. The dancing numbers and each orchestration within theme have never been this invigorating or captivating in any recent musical.

The performances across the board are magnificent. Each character is presented with depth, emotional complexities and courage. Ansel Elgort is great and delivers some solid movie stardom and charisma. Ariana DeBose is terrific and having Rita Moreno return made her a scene stealer. But the real heart and real deal is Rachel Zegler in her prime debut. Goodness gracious from the heavens above, the world will fall in love with this girl and it’s already showing based on the public reception. The world, for a limited time, fell in Daisy Ridley after
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but she hardly got any major work after that. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen for Rachel Zegler. Spielberg has an eye for child actors, or in this case, breakthrough performances from young and no name talents. He may have done here again with Rachel Zegler.

Believe it or not, West Side Story might be one of Spielberg’s finest achievements. It’s such an achievement that it needs to be in the discussion of maybe a top ten or even top five Spielberg movie. But what this remake should tell naysayers is that remakes shouldn’t be frowned upon, especially if the remake is based on a beloved film. There’s always room to expand upon, and if one remakes a classic movie, add your own style and perspective and not have it feel like a rip off or a shot for shot remake. This is Spielberg that’s in his element and whenever that’s the case, we’re in for something really special. Steven Spielberg’s vision for West Side Story is so deep that it hurts.

My grade for West Side Story: A+