Despite having an abundance of musicals released this year, we’ve not got tired of them as West Side Story is an absolute joy to watch. It makes you leave the cinema clicking and with a spring in your step.
Everyone’s fairly familiar with the film’s plot, and the new film is just a re-telling of the original West Side Story, which in turn was a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet. However, Spielberg injects new life into the story. We’ve got Tony and Maria, who are part of rival gangs in New York City as they fall in love whilst their respective gangs start a war with each other, but despite the film’s runtime of over two and half hours West Side Story absolutely flies by.
It opens with a tracking shot of a grey and dull New York before diving into all the songs that we know and love and it’s immediately clear that we’re in for a treat. Whilst it never quite reaches the heights of the original film, and it takes the film’s first act before you truly get invested in these characters, West Side Story all comes together so remarkably and fluently that you forget that this is Spielberg’s first ever musical.
The film moves to the music so incredibly well, whether that’s the sound of coins flipping or Jets clicking it has such a strong beat to the film and the music just guides us right through. The production design is gorgeous, and the film’s remarkable cinematography makes us feel like we’re right there in 1950s New York. From dizzying camera sweeps to absolutely stunning lighting and tracking shots this film is an absolute joy to look at.
There was no doubt that Steven Spielberg is one of the greatest ever filmmakers but West Side Story once again cements this. He makes the interesting choice not to have subtitles for any of the film’s Spanish dialogue and whilst there is quite a lot it’s never an issue for the audience as Spielberg has become a master of visual storytelling. We don’t even need to be able to understand what’s being said to understand the emotions in the scene.
However, the film never quite feels wholly necessary. Whilst Spielberg does a great job with the film, a West Side Story remake isn’t anything that anyone’s really been crying out for. And it never fully justifies its existence, however because it’s so good you can see past this and just enjoy it and revel in the excellent music and remarkable filmmaking on display.
Steven Spielberg has crafted an excellent remake of West Side Story that builds and builds as it goes on and continues to draw us in as the tension reaches its crescendo. Despite a slow start and never really justifying its presence, West Side Story is a remarkable film from one of cinema’s greatest.