Rent West Side Story (2021)

Slick and soulless - West Side Story review by DT

If you like the original 1961 film, my advice is: don't watch this remake. Almost every minute of it, I wished I was watching the original instead. It's slick, but I didn't find it at all engaging. And I'm afraid I found most of the actors rather bland and forgettable.

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.

Good - West Side Story review by MS

Firstly, the original film is as close to a perfect film as possible, so I wasn't expecting this one to be as good as the other (it isn't).

To list the negatives: the actor who plays Tony isn't very good; 'I feel pretty' doesn't feel quite right being after the big fight between the gangs; and (on a personal note) Natalie Wood isn't in this one.

The positives are: the singing is great (including Tony's singing); the choreography is good (but not as good as the original); the dancing is great; the song 'Cool Boy' is moved to before the big fight & it surprisingly works well; Tony & Maria get to know each other better before they decide to run away together; it's clearer in this version why Maria forgives Tony for doing what he did; and finally, the scene where they sing & dance to 'America' is absolutely amazing.

In conclusion, the major reason why the original is better than this one is because that film was set in 1961 & filmed in 1961, whereas, this film is set in 1961 & filmed in 2019. However, I still wish I saw this film in the cinema! Grrrr

Overly Long, Flat Musical Remake - West Side Story review by GI

The tragic romance story remade from the 1961 classic musical by Steven Spielberg who I suspect has hankered to do a big musical for many a year and at least since he directed the big musical prologue in Indiana Jones And The Temple of Doom (1984). This is, as is well known, based on Romeo And Juliet with the Capulets and Montagues replaced with 1950s New York street gangs The Jets and The Sharks, divided over broad brush stroke racial prejudice until one of the Jets falls in love with the sister of the Sharks leader. There's no doubt this is an extravaganza and visually impressive with some great camera sweeps capturing the big dance routines andmusical numbers but I'm unclear what audience this is aimed at. The retention of the 50s setting and the songs don't readily seem an attraction for a modern audience and despite its Steven Sondheim/Leonard Bernstein credentials the film feels a little flat. It's certainly overlong and, for me, became a bit of a chore. Ansel Elgort as Tony and Rachel Zegler as Maria are both excellent but it all feels dated and even the presence of Rita Moreno who was in the original film doesn't lift it. In my view the original is the better film and certainly fits it's story and time better than this despite the big production values that Spielberg has been able to include.

If it's not broken, don't fix it. - West Side Story review by SKC

The original is the best. This has to be Spielberg's first flop. Why re-make a film for it to look as near to the original as possible. Don't waste a rental.

Almost a hit - West Side Story review by JL

Strong plotting and scene setting, superb choreography and dancing and singing. Great camera work too. But somehow the human angle fell flat - Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler weren't as convincing as we needed them to be. Especially him - too soft and middle class. But, as I say, strong story-telling which strenghtened the West Side context.