Rent West Side Story (2021)
3.4 of 5 from 370 ratings
2h 29min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- From producer and director Steven Spielberg, with a script by screenwriter and playwright Tony Kushner, comes 'West Side Story'. An adaptation of the 1957 musical, the film tells the tale of forbidden love and the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds.
- Actors:
- Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Rita Moreno, Brian d'Arcy James, Corey Stoll, Mike Faist, Josh Andrés Rivera, Ezra Menas, David Aviles Morales, Sebastian Serra, Ricardo Zayas, Carlos E. Gonzalez, Ricky Ubeda, Andrei Chagas, Adriel Flete, Jacob Guzman, Kelvin Delgado, Carlos Sanchez Falu
- Directors:
- Steven Spielberg
- Producers:
- Kristie Macosko Krieger, Kevin McCollum, Steven Spielberg
- Writers:
- Tony Kushner, Arthur Laurents
- Others:
- Janusz Kaminski, Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom, Adam Stockhausen, Shawn Murphy, Tod A Maitland, Rena DeAngelo, Tod Maitland, Brian Chumney, Cindy Tolan, Paul Tazewell
- Studio:
- Walt Disney
- Genres:
- Drama, Music & Musicals, Romance
- Collections:
- 10 Films to Watch if You Like: West Side Story, Award Winners, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2023, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2024, Films to Watch If You Like..., Holidays Film Collection, Oscar Nominations Competition 2023, Oscar Nominations Competition 2024, Top 10 Screen Kisses (1896-1979)
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 07/03/2022
- Run Time:
- 156 minutes
- Languages:
- English Audio Description Dolby Digital 2.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
- Subtitles:
- Danish, Dutch, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.39:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
- Bonus:
- Over 90 Minutes of Behind the Scenes
- Bonus Extras Including the Stories of West Side Story and The Songs
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 07/03/2022
- Run Time:
- 156 minutes
- Languages:
- English Audio Description Dolby Digital 2.0, English Dolby Atmos, English Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Italian Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
- Subtitles:
- Danish, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish
- DVD Regions:
- Region 0 (All)
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.39:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
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Reviews (9) of West Side Story
Hugely disappointing - didn't finish it. - West Side Story review by GC
This was released on BluRay just as I was pruning my list, and on a whim I added this. (I had seen a wonderful live show a few years ago which easily beat the original film). The new film has stunning picture quality and clean sound but it seemed strangely odd and heavy as if taking itself far too seriously. The actors were not to blame as I accepted them easily and the big dance numbers were good. My favourite was "America" in the street. As the film went on it felt ponderous and slow and I found myself getting bored. The very violent big rumble finally spoiled it for us and I stopped it at 1hour 50mins with about 40mins to go. I had ceased caring by then.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Inferior rehash - West Side Story review by Alphaville
What’s the point of this inferior remake? Every set-piece is worse than the original, from the opening fight scenes to the dance-hall meeting of Tony and Maria and the final rumble. Jerome Robbins choreography is sorely missed. The score lacks punch. As for the characters… the leads lack the charisma of George Chakiris, the athleticism of Russ Tamblyn and the screen magnetism of Natalie Wood, while the Tony character seems even more soft than ever. Even the colour is less striking.
Spielberg has his camera prowl around the action but fails to capture the drama in the way that Robert Wise’s more dynamic camerawork did. What’s left is little more than an earnest student musical that will send you back to the original to check that, yes, it really was that much better.
1 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Our Cylinders are Clickin'! - West Side Story review by CH
The credits take some while to roll at the end of the new version of West Side Story, and one learns that many digital artists had been involved in its creation. This, though, has been not at all akin to dinosaurs who purport to traverse craggy mountains which, for all the technology, so often seems more risible than suspension of disbelief.
First filmed sixty years ago, that version remains in the mind as rather too clean-looking for a gritty tale of gang warfare. Steven Spielberg, with screenwriter Tony Kushner, has brought a darker hue to this tale of young love traversing racial boundaries, creating an almost-Shakespearean power for its ending. While, rest assured, never losing the brio of the music, lyrics and dance which made this a feat of collaboration by Bernstein, Sondheim and Robbins.
The time goes by swiftly (two hours and forty minutes, with the closing credits, which, happily, have orchestral variations upon the score). Nothing is out of step. The undubbed singing is excellent, and a great move was to have a cast unknown to most of us – except, of course, for Rita Moreno, who, at almost ninety, brings a subtly bravura turn to a rôle which, this time around, finds her running a bar where she dispenses beer and advice. It is not for me to reveal the surprise she springs.
Hoodlums and police alike are all brilliant turns, from Tony (Ansel Elgort) to Officer Krupke (Brian d'Arcy James), and a continually wistful Maria (Rachel Zegler): one could highlight everybody, but the the real point is that here is ensemble playing: nobody steals a march on the others.
It is exhilarating – and resonates over here, in a Britain riven by the street warfare that is Remain and Leave.
Meanwhile, do browse Sondheim's first huge volume of lyrics and commentary, Finishing the Hat. Here are lyrics dropped on the road, and a reminder that some of the unused music resurfaced at the beginning an equally engrossing work, the Chichester Psalms.
0 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Critic review
West Side Story review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso
The first theatrical remake of West Side Story is very much a faithful and glorious reprisal of the same beats. That may seem expected by director Steven Spielberg, despite not being a specific musical director. He does, however, have a great love for movies and is most likely to keep things looking pristine for the nostalgia 1961 held for many. Though Spielberg doesn’t really add a huge dose of his own flavor to the music and characters, he does inject this picture with plenty of theatrics for the classical score, faithful choreography, and an energy that makes you glad such a director is still trying his hand at more genres.
The story remains relatively the same. New York City is a battleground of the 1950s as the gangs of Jets and Sharks duke it out for the territory of their ever-changing city. Spielberg’s penchant for grand-scale shooting is present during this opening number as if the director loves to show how fantastically he can stage retro worlds. But the opening battle between Jets and Sharks feels very much like the original, complete with all the singing and dancing. It’s pretty clear from this scene that the director wants to do right by the material, focusing more on improving the theatrics than rewriting the story.
Tony (Ansel Elgort) is an ex-Jet who finds himself being drawn back into this world. It’s not so much for feeling as though he owes it to his old pal and current Jets leader Riff (Mike Faist). He also happens to fancy the lovely Maria (Rachel Zegler). The only problem is that since Maria is in Sharks territory of Puerto Rican culture and the Jets are whites against them, their love remains hidden amid a feud of gangs. The star-crossed lovers find themselves conflicted about their future that is destined to end in tragedy, keeping with the classic love story of Romeo and Juliet.
Zegler is a great discovery in this film. The young actress delivers a solid performance of a determined and tragic lover, frustrated by a world that forces her to choose sides. She has a stunning presence and particularly shines in her solo song “I Feel Pretty.” But when watching her playing opposite Elgort during the balcony number of “Tonight,” she shines even bolder. This is because Elgort just can’t muster this performance. Sure, he may have the look of a 1950s conflicted gangster but not much of that personality comes through his performance. Whereas most of the movie is brimming with life, his lead role feels limp.
Thankfully, there are far better actors and songs crowding the screen. Ariana DeBose lights up the screen as the feisty Anita, singing the catchy and exciting number “America.” David Alvarez as the hot-headed Bernardo also adds an extra dose of conflicting cynicism to the song. Rita Moreno is absolutely perfect in her handful of scenes and her musical solo “Somewhere,” playing the eldest character of Valentina. And the choreography really comes alive with a slew of the Jets performing the fast-paced ensemble song “Gee, Officer Krupke.”
Spielberg’s direction is exceptional enough to bring the great theatrics of the original to a new era. I particularly loved his staging of the rumble in the warehouse, where long shadows signal the lines drawn on the battlefield. He makes the happy moments extra shiny and the tragic climax bleak and somber. All the right notes are hit.
In a way, Spielberg doesn’t add much more to West Side Story beyond the technicalities. Really, though, Spielberg is a director who succeeds with his theatrics more than anything else. His love of movies and ability to craft enticing worlds remains in this movie, showing off how easily this old director can still dabble in other genres with a sprinkle of his own spices.