"West Side Story" soars again with classic yet fresh and vibrant adaptation

West Side Story (2021)

Reimagining “West Side Story” would seem like a daunting or foolish task, even for a master, but Steven Spielberg is back, making the impossible very possible. Not that he ever left, but for his first time helming a movie musical (with his trademark lens flares), Spielberg makes his revival of Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins’ 1961 original film “West Side Story” feel classic, new, and altogether special. In fact, it feels so alive and vital that it comes close to beating out its predecessor. But for the sake of peace and not war, 2021’s “West Side Story” soars so high that it deserves to be an equally vibrant companion piece.

As the camera cranes over the ruins of a torn-down neighborhood, it initially looks like a war-torn country, until there’s a sign for New York City Housing Authority Slum Clearance. It will be Lincoln Center one day, but now, it’s the shrinking turf of the Jets and the Sharks. War is waged between the two gangs, juvenile delinquents called the Jets and Puerto Rican immigrants called the Sharks. Former Jets member Tony (Ansel Elgort) is now out on parole and working at the local drugstore Doc’s for the widowed Valentina (Rita Moreno), but when he sets eyes on Maria (Rachel Zegler), the younger sister of Sharks leader Bernado (David Alvarez), it’s meant to be. Once the Jets plan one final rumble with the Sharks to determine who gets the neighborhood, everything changes. 

A Broadway production writ large, this “West Side Story” is grittier, more romantic, and more culturally accurate. The 1950s New York-set tragic love story, à la “Romeo & Juliet,” remains the same, as it must, and Leonard Bernstein’s score, Stephen Sondheim’s lyrics, and Jerome Robbins’ choreography are all left intact as well. But Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner (2012’s “Lincoln”) do make significant changes, most of them for the better, like rearranging the order of songs, not casting white actors in makeup to play Puerto Rican, and letting characters speak Spanish without English subtitles for us silly English-speakers. 

The cast of talent is just remarkable across the board, with one weak link among the ensemble (more on that in a bit). Lovely as Maria, newcomer Rachel Zegler doesn’t make her first-timer status known one bit. She’s a true star to be, with her powerfully angelic voice and abilities to really sell Maria and Tony’s forbidden romance that’s worth fighting for, even if it’s mostly lust since they’re young. Although she may have big shoes to fill, Ariana DeBose (2020’s “The Prom”) is dynamite as Anita; not only is her dancing just spectacular to watch, but DeBose just explodes fiery charisma and verve like a force to be reckoned with. Mike Faist showcases a movie-star magnetism as Riff, the Jets’ leader and Tony’s chip-on-his-shoulder best friend. Seasoned veteran Rita Moreno, the original Anita (and an Oscar winner because of it), is incredibly moving wisdom personified as Doc’s widow Valentina, and now giving the song “Somewhere” to Moreno’s Valentina instead of Tony brings an additional poignancy.

So why hasn’t the name, “Ansel Elgort,” been mentioned yet? Having a lot to prove as Maria’s romantic partner, Elgort is only fine as Tony. Compared to the fresh faces around him, he is noticeably trying to keep up and just a passable singer and dancer. It’s not that Elgort is outright bad, but his limitations show, especially during a pivotal emotional moment (maybe it was a weak first take?) when Tony receives that climactic message.

When Maria and Tony first set eyes on each other at the dance, how it’s staged—putting our star-crossed lovers in focus through both sides of the crowds—is so dreamy it feels like pure magic. From there, “Tonight” is a romantic duet on the fire escape outside Maria’s apartment window. Though it feels tonally off in its new placement, “I Feel Pretty” is playful and expertly choreographed in Maria’s department-store workplace. “Gee, Officer Krupke” is also another highlight, cleverly staged within the jail lobby while Officer Krupke (Brian d’Arcy James). Taken from the nighttime roofs to the daytime streets where you feel the heat on the pavement, “America” is a dazzling triumph, one of the film’s biggest show-stopping numbers. From Ariana DeBose getting to be the powerhouse she is, to the stunningly intricate choreography, to the staging in the open streets allowing for the movement to breathe and the colors to pop, this number is like a thrill of energy.

Steven Spielberg and his director of photography, Janusz Kaminski, allow us to be impressed by the dance choreography, letting it all play out in wide shots rather than covering up less-than-proficient dancers with a million cuts. It also always helps when the whole cast is comprised of exceptional dancers with actual musical theater experience. The pacing threatens to lag a time or two, but it’s luckily then off to the next number. The collaboration between cast, crew, and director Spielberg is so strong here, bringing so much to make people want to return to “West Side Story.” For once, reviving something that was already close to perfection in the first place can be just as great the second time. 

Grade: B +

20th Century Studios is releasing “West Side Story” (156 min.) in theaters on December 10, 2021.