West Side Story Movie Review

One of Broadway's greatest love stories, West Side Story, was remade and came out in theaters on December 10th, 2021. Now it is on the Disney+ streaming service and the masses are deciding, did the new film live up to its classic original?

The consensus among theatre lovers is an absolute yes. Steven Spielberg's adaptation of the musical West Side Story is raw and powerful. Spielberg and his team have been applauded for casting many theatrical actors in the movie as well as casting Puerto Ricans and Latinx actors as the Sharks. The film was incredibly well-received, having won three Golden Globe Awards (Best Actress by Rachel Zegler, Best Supporting Actress by Ariana DeBose, and Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy) and being nominated for seven Oscars it has impressed and exceeded many people's expectations. But what exactly drew people into this new adaptation? It's simple, the talented actors and a new fleshed-out back story.

While the film features many already famous actors such as Rita Moreno, (who played Anita in the original West Side Story film) James d'Arcy Brown, and Maddie Ziegler. But the break-out stars from this movie are Ariana DeBose, Mike Faist, and Rachel Zegler. Ariana DeBose, who is best known for her role as The Bullet in Hamilton, gives a stellar performance as Anita. The mix of high emotions and confidence she gives makes it look like DeBose has been playing this character for years. Very few could step into the shoes Rita Moreno left after playing Anita, but DeBose not only stepped into them but stole everyone's hearts with one of the most iconic dance breaks in the song "America". Ariana DeBose has been nominated for countless awards for her performance, winning virtually all of them and with one of the biggest nights in the film industry coming up, we will see if she gets to add an Oscar to that list as well.

Mike Faist, the other Broadway veteran, gathered a massive fan-based after originating the roles of Connor Murphy in Dear Evan Hansen and Morris Delancey in Newsies which has become larger than ever since the premiere of this movie. Faist plays the leader of the Jets, Riff, whose loyalty to his gang is second to none. Faist not only looks amazingly cool walking down the street snapping, but his acting and singing are next levels. The cherry on top of Faists performance is his spectacular dancing skills. Faist moves so purposefully audiences forget that gangs don't dance in the street or gyms passive-aggressively across from their rivals. With the exhilarating performance given by Mike Faist, many Twitter users are rioting that he was not nominated for an Oscar. This uproar lasted a while and grew even stronger when the public found out that he was not invited to the Oscar Awards show. That all being said, Mike Faist gave his all as Riff and it paid off with creating a beautiful character and winning a fair number of awards.

Leading lady, Rachel Zegler, is someone I have been following for a while and her name is one that you will want to remember. Maria was her first-ever role in a movie that she auditioned for and landed before graduating high school. The elegance Zegler carries in her voice is astonishing, she is the epitome of a true soprano. Not only is her voice timeless but her acting was phenomenal. The lovingness that comes with the character Maria felt incredibly natural from Zegler, with the build-up of juxtaposing emotions towards the final scene I felt that she brought it all perfectly through the character arch while never being over the top. Another refreshing thing about Rachel Zegler is how transparent she has been about the whole process of becoming a star. She is awestruck at awards shows when she meets other celebrities and hypes up her cast-mates on social media to no end. Rachel Zegler has been nominated and won serval awards for her performance, not enough in my opinion, but I have zero doubt that there won't be more coming her way soon. Along with her castmate Fiast, Zegler too was not invited to the Oscars, which again caused internet outrage. So much so that the Oscars invited her, and Zegler is now presenting an award at the show. A small number of people believe that the Oscars’ move to add Zegler to the list of presenters was silly and that she did not deserve to go, especially after complaining about not having an invite. I, and the rest of the world, believe that Zegler’s actions of speaking out for actors who put in just as much work as famous ones are helping shape the way new actors speak up for themselves and their work.

West Side Story, as groundbreaking as it is, had many fans that were hesitant about the new adaptation with Spielberg directing it. Fans were afraid that it would take a much too dark turn and become too depressing. While Spielberg did not change much to the story at all, he did give the main character, Tony, a new and more structured back story. In the original musical there was no set reason why Tony, former leader of the Jets gang, wanted to separate from it. In Spielberg's adaptation, Tony is now on parole after being in prison for a year for almost killing a rival gang member. My first time watching the movie I was surprised that an addition like this would be made, but after watching it a second time with people who are not necessarily theatre geeks, I realized why it was needed. Not only does it give Tony more depth as a character, but it makes everything for the average movie watcher more believable. All of a sudden Tony has a real reason why he needs to avoid the people who used to be his family and why he would so quickly drop everything to be with a girl he had only just met. This new background gives a new level of meaning behind all of Tony's actions in the movie.

Even though the movie was supposed to come out in 2020, the film was very well received coming out a year later in theaters. The stellar cast, with diverse and impressive backgrounds, has made this my new go-to movie musical. West Side Story has been a long-time classic musical and it is safe to say that Spielberg’s fresh yet timeless take on it has not disappointed.