It’s never too early to get a jump on the potential Oscar nominations: guest reviewer Pasha Ivanov has a look at Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story.
This is not an easy movie to review. The difficulty for a reviewer these days lies in not giving away any spoilers. In this case everyone knows how the story ends so suddenly it is all about filmmaking, and God, what great polished filmmaking this is! You wouldn’t expect less from Steven Spielberg, who dreamed of recreating the film he saw as a child. This really is a cinematic dream version of the musical, and this is both its strength and its weakness.
If you love West Side Story the musical you will relish the spot-on atmosphere, dancing sequences, the set pieces, and the cinematography. The acting is also top notch, with voices perfectly suited for the songs, and the special appearance by Rita Moreno, with a somewhat expanded role, is a real delight.
But if you are not a big fan of the musical, what you are left with is a drama that cuts deep to the core of the issues that are still tearing America apart, but does not give them the epic treatment they deserve. It is still very much constricted by the frames of a rather unrealistic story, even though major rewrites have been made for this production.
The good news is that it’s Spielberg at his best, the actors flourish under his guidance and the visuals are a feast for the eye. It also carries a hard emotional gut punch and feels much more violent than its predecessor.
West Side Story is a vision to behold. Whatever you think of the source material this is grand movie entertainment, enjoyable on many levels, and a signature piece for a genius filmmaker of our time.
PASHASFILMS RATING: 9/10
Pasha Ivanov is a writer, reader, movie buff and reviewer. Find more at pashasfilms on instagram!