West Side Story

Steven Spielberg directs the latest screen adaptation of West Side Story. Set in 1950’s New York and based on Romeo and Juliet we find our star crossed lovers Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler) who live on different sides of a gang war between The Jets, a group of New Yorkers who feel displaced by the incoming Puerto Rican community and their gang The Sharks. And it’s Tony and Maria’s relationship that threatens to escalate the tensions into a full-scale violent turf war that will end in bloodshed.

Unlike many, I didn’t come to this with experience of its previous cinema outings or stage show. The story still feels very relevant with its focus on displacement, gentrification, the problems of disaffected groups and the sad futility of gang violence. But alongside this is optimism, dreams to chase and attempts to escape the past, particularly for Maria’s friend Anita (Ariana DeBose).

However, for me, there is a problem with the story, its final act, which creates a story arc for one character which left me feeling cold about them and ultimately the films emotional climax.

Reservations aside, there are plenty of positives. There is no surprise that Spielberg can put together a musical, which is wonderfully shot and moves at a rapid pace, even for its 156 minutes running time. And of course the music, even for someone not familiar with the show, Maria, America, Tonight are all classics, America is a particularly joyous performance. Alongside the music, I also enjoyed the use of dance in the way it portrayed tension, optimism and energy.

Performances are enjoyable and also retain a level of their stage show roots, that works well. Elgort, and DeBose particularly carry the stories emotional heart.

While I didn’t love it, I did enjoy it, the plot issues aside there is an interesting story at the film’s heart. It is full of classic show tunes all brought to life on screen and the use of dance to display emotion worked really well. While it didn’t completely work as a story, it did as a musical and for those who love the musical I think they’ll enjoy this.