Love at first sight strikes when young Tony spots Maria at a high school dance in 1957 New York City. Their burgeoning romance helps to fuel the fire between the warring Jets and Sharks -- two rival gangs vying for control of the streets.
West side story is a deep, compelling love story that explores a variety of emotions, identities and characters uniquely and refreshingly. It isn’t just a typical romance though, it runs deep into the genre and puts the characters right at the heart of the story, and engrossed us in the story but covering a variety of themes including belonging and diversity. I'll be honest here, I went into this screening unaware of the premise of the story and what kind of film it would be, so onto the main question, is this film worth checking out? Here are my thoughts.
As I mentioned, I hadn't conducted any prior research into this film, what it would be about or even the character roster before watching the movie, I chose to watch the film purely on feedback I had received from friends. Arguably, with a film like this, the story takes a somewhat back seat whilst the film engulfs us in the characters, their relationships and roles within the film, however here, this isn't entirely the whole story. What I mean by this is that the film seems to manage its characters and how they come across to us, by telling the story of the film in a great way. The film can do this so well by initially removing an introductory scene and throwing us straight into the action, and then throughout the film, there is no sense of complication between characters and how they feel concerning the story, everything is easy to understand and follow, allowing for us to immerse ourselves in the ecosystem of the film without having to particularly worry about following the story.
Not only is the story easy to follow though, but it is also really exciting and immersive. The manner in which the film builds up tension between the two gangs, whilst constantly switching between viewpoints and perspectives is great, because it gives us a great indication of what is happening, whilst simultaneously showing us life outside of the gang warfare, through romance. Of course, romance is the main theme in this film, and the film does a great job of building this connection between two of the most prominent characters in the film, Tony and Maria, whilst also delving deep into the rivalry of the two backgrounds they have been brought up in. Additionally, though I like how the relationships in this film feel genuine, for example, Riff (the leader of the Jets) seems to have a genuine connection with the other members of his gang in the way that they speak and act together, they seem to have a genuine feeling of respect for each other that feels impactful and engaging - helping to solidify the sense of realism in the film. Other relationships such as that of Tony and Maria also have a great sense of realism that makes scenes with them a joy to watch, of course, due to the musical nature of the film it is somewhat unrealistic, but these scenes give a real sense of genuine affection and love for one another.
In general, though the characters are also great, Ansel Elgort is great as Tony and delivers an honest act, however, this is Rachel Zegler's feature film debut and she gets to portray the most important character of Maria. Never for a moment would I have guessed that she was acting in her debut film. She delivers a really confident performance that felt moving, powerful and just genuinely amazing! One of the best things about the supporting cast though is that whilst some of them aren't even named, the performances are important and impactful in creating an impression, for example, members of the Jets aren't all prominent throughout the film, but together they create an iconic group that feels fast, exciting and thrilling (including a small role for Rita Moreno, who also appeared in the 1961 version - in a different role obviously, but nonetheless gives a nod to the original).
Of course, it wouldn't be a great musical without a core component, singing! The songs in this film are great, and help to personify the emotions of the characters and current events in the film. I'm not the biggest fan of musical cinema, but I was thoroughly impressed with not only the actual singing, but the choreography of the sets during these performances, for example, seeing whole streets gathering together to join in the dance, and travelling around a closed department store was great because it helped to give the film a sense of identity and charisma whilst helping to maintain a great sense of energy.
The film certainly wasn't perfect though (and no, that isn't my musical bias speaking), and had some fairly severe issues that impacted the overall viewing for me. Primarily being the mixture of languages, I completely understand that the Puerto Rico / American connection and feel that the differences in language use helped establish authenticity, however in the second half of the film, there were so many important scenes and conversations that were severely impacted by the lack of subtitles, resulting in us having to guess what was being said. Because I couldn't understand these (as I don't speak Spanish), it meant that these conversations were essentially useless and had no meaning to me, which is a shame as I am sure these were important, but as I couldn't understand then they were somewhat lost on me.
Whilst I haven't seen the original 1961 version, from reports I have read, many question the purpose of this film at all as it is a remake, as opposed to a fresh lick of paint as a remaster. It's not an issue that I had, however, it is worth a mention, as those familiar with the original 1961 version may find this to be a little too similar, and not offer enough new elements to justify a remake. My argument to this is that it was remade to make the film and story relevant for modern audiences, largely because we have the same or similar problems as characters in the film.
Overall, I would give this film an 8.5 out of 10. It has a great series of characters that fit in fantastically into the storyline of the film, whilst simultaneously creating an exciting ecosystem that is genuinely enjoyable. The cast of the film are great, with no 'A listers', some may be slightly apprehensive, but the characters and actors in this film are fantastic, and make it a pleasure to watch. Those that are interested too will be pleased to hear that from a musical standpoint, the choreography and performances are also great and help to give the film a sense of energy. Of course the language barrier is a slightly baffling decision, and although this isn't prominent throughout the entirety of the film, it is definitely an issue for those that cannot speak Spanish, as it renders some scenes fairly useless and meaningless. If you've seen the original though, or if you enjoy musicals, I would definitely recommend watching this film, not only is it fun but it is also crafted in a great way that culminates in a great film remake!
Thank you for reading my review, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did watching the film and writing this review, I hope you have a lovely day! If you would like to check out my Official Facebook page where you can see sneak previous and more film insights then please consider checking out the link below!
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