Movie Review: West Side Story (2021)

There is no point in remaking movies. I just don't understand why you would take something which was successful, beautiful, and critically acclaimed - and then go "I can do better!" What can a film-maker possibly add? There's a high likelihood that the remake will fall flat on its face or become the punchline to a joke. I'm sorry, but I just don't think great movies should be re-made when there are so many original stories to tell.

And yet…

Spielberg doesn't waste a single frame. He updates the story just enough to modernise it, without losing its charm. He throws every cinematic advancement of the last 60 years to make something which looks like it could have been filmed in the 1960s.

In short, it is stunning. I can't believe this is Spielberg's first musical - I felt like I was dancing with the cast and sat in the front row while they sang. This isn't like Les Mis or Cats - where you feel like you are deep in an actor's warbling trachea. Those suffered from casting big name actors who wanted to show off their talents. Sensibly, Spielberg eschews big names and instead casts a mixture of newcomers and Broadway professionals.

The story is timeless. Not just the star-cross'd lovers - but the themes of young people alienated and lashing out. Of newcomers trying to find their place in a hostile world. Of a growing city displacing and distressing its residents.

It is poetry on screen - an absolute must-watch.