West Side Story movie review: Does it live up to the original?

West Side Story has been widely anticipated for well over three years now since the film’s casting director, Cindy Tolan, sent out this tweet asking people to share an open casting call. Fast forward to now, including a year’s delay due to COVID, and audiences are finally able to feast their eyes on this re-imagined classic. Steven Spielberg directs his first musical, and I must say it feels like he’s been directing musicals his entire career.

The story takes place in New York City in the 1950s, and follows Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler), two teenagers who encounter love at first sight at a local neighborhood dance. The time and setting are key here, because in the particular neighborhood where the movie takes place, racial tension and gang territory disputes fill the air. Tony is more aligned with the “Jets” and Maria’s brother Bernardo is the leader of the “Sharks,” the two rival gangs. The natural drama love story West Side Story presents makes it the perfect modern day Romeo & Juliet.

The cast is a standout in this movie. Although it features many first-time actors, West Side Story is comprised of many stars from Broadway. One of the major standouts was leader of the Jets, Riff (played by Mike Faist). Faist makes the choice to play Riff as menacing as possible and it really pays off. The moment Riff leads the Jets to the the big fight with the Sharks is one of the best cinematic moments of the year. In terms of the female side of the cast, Ariana DeBose as Anita, really wow’ed me.

Not only her emotional performance, especially when learning of the death of her love Bernardo, but her prolific theater experience shines through in the performative aspects of her role. The choreography for her musical numbers is stunning. Elsewhere, Rita Moreno was asked personally by Spielberg to return for this reboot. While Moreno obviously would not be reprising her role of Anita from the 1961 film, screenwriter Tony Kushner wrote a new role specifically for her. Not only does Moreno have a relatively major role in the film, but it’s also incredible to hear her singing voice at 90 years of age.

Does West Side Story 2021 live up to the 1961 version?

It does. I was pleasantly surprised leaving the theater, because I was in awe of the spectacle. Spielberg manages to make this insular world feel so grand and full of life. The musical numbers are all blocked and choreographed exceedingly well and it makes you appreciate the theater prowess of so many of the ensemble cast. This movie checks many of the boxes that The Academy looks for come Oscars nominations time. Sound design, costume design, production design, director, actor, actress, and adapted screenplay are all in play.

The two main characters: Tony (Elgort) and Maria (Zegler) were both under the microscope heading into the premiere. Elgort had sexual misconduct allegations levied against him after the film was shot and Zegler’s expectations were perhaps tempered because this is her first film role. Elgort’s performance to me exceeded expectations. While I don’t think he was a standout by any means, he did just well enough and sung with the conviction to be a believable musical leading man.

I originally though Elgort was miscast, having only seen him in Baby Driver, but he proved me wrong. Rachel Zegler was a complete and utter force in this film and has a long career in front of her. Her singing is breathtaking, her innocent persona fit the role perfectly, and for having never acted professionally before, it seemed like she was born for the role of Maria. Zegler’s performance is one of the biggest breakouts in years and I thing she is deserving of Best Actress this year.

In terms of comparison to the original, I have the 2021 version slightly below the 1961 classic. Technically, the 2021 movie is better. It’s paced with more fluidity and is smart to base the plot and structure more similarly to the theatrical version than the original film. The 2021 version also handles cast representation far better. But for me, it doesn’t quite exceed my score for the original version, but it’s safe to say it’s at worse on par. The original was just so revolutionary for its time and made a cultural impact for decades, which I’m not sure the 2021 film can match. With that being said, West Side Story is the best film I’ve seen this year and would be my selection for Best Picture.

This film isn’t for young children, but I would say safely it is a family movie. Some themes can be dark and the violence too extreme for young audiences, but otherwise this one can be seen with adolescents and up. West Side Story should also be seen in a theater, which coincidentally is the only way audiences can currently see the film.

My score: 9.6/10