‘West Side Story’ is an Absolute Triumph
Written by Chari Orozco
I’m not fond of remakes, especially remakes of nostalgic and timeless stories that are reimagined poorly. But then Steven Spielberg happened and did for West Side Story what Baz Luhrmann did for Romeo and Juliet; he repackaged it for an entirely new generation with care, imagination, and a level of creativity that was moving. From the aerial shots that opened the movie to the incredibly diverse cast that carried it, it felt like they took a meticulous amount of time with every beautiful detail of the film to honor what had gone before.
As a Hispanic with Caribbean roots, I appreciated seeing my people and language represented with love and respect.
You will love it for those who are fans of the original play, film, and story! Please go and experience it on film, with popcorn, and cry with joy! You will thank me. It’s masterfully done, and there should be Oscars given to this cast and crew when this is all said and done. But to those who are not interested in seeing West Side Story, get curious. What Spielberg did was not easy! He took a very well-known and awarded play that was already a 10-time Oscar-winning moving, and he made it better. HE MADE IT BETTER! Like the original Jurassic Park better.
Let’s start with the cast led by a relative unknown, Rachel Zegler as Maria, and the lovely Ansel Elgort starring as Tony opposite Zegler’s Maria. Again, I’m not a fan of remakes, but I almost threw my phone at the screen when the balcony scene happened. They are magic together, and the level of sobbing in the theatre was vast. ( *Please, know I stopped writing this article to listen to Ansel’s “Maria” on Youtube, cried, and now I’m back! ) The rest of the cast is spectacular. The infamous Anita, made famous by Chita Rivera and Rita Moreno, was reenvisioned by theater juggernaut Ariana DeBose with a level of strength and emotion that should win her a golden statue. Not to say, Rita Moreno, who’s in this incredible remake, didn’t steal the show at the end (*I won’t spoil it for you ) but prepare for sobbing, like ugly Claire Danes sobbing!
Steven Spielberg is my favorite director, but I wasn’t expecting much from this movie if I’m entirely honest. I mean, he’s the Jurassic Park guy, the Jaws guy, the Tom Hanks in every war movie guy, and this is a musical from the ’60s. Now I feel compelled to formally apologize to Sir Spielberg because I should have never doubted you. For all you movie nerds out there, Spielberg shot a movie on the ocean before anyone else; he created dinosaurs before CGI was even a thing!
He’s a pioneer and a massive West Side Story fan. And he brought his mammoth talent and love for cinema to West Side Story, and I’m so thankful. It was an emotional experience, from the music to the representation. As a Hispanic with Caribbean roots, I appreciated seeing my people and language represented with love and respect. All around, I loved this movie. I left the theatre inspired and obsessed with the cast.
And, of course, how beautifully the film was captured and melded together. I will now be taking my family to see it, as I have to see it again on the big screen.
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