West Side Story (2021)

West Side Story is an 2021 American romantic musical drama film directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay by Tony Kushner and choreography by Justin Peck. The film is an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, which is based loosely on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It had its world premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater in New York City on November 29, 2021, three days after Sondheim's death. The film was theatrically distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through its subsidiary, 20th Century Studios in the United States on December 10, 2021 after being delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Plot
Love at first sight strikes when young Tony spots Maria at a high school dance in 1957 New York City. Their burgeoning romance helps to fuel the fire between the warring Jets and Sharks -- two rival gangs vying for control of the streets.

Why In America, Still Nothing Is Impossible

 * 1) Not only is it faithful of the 1961 film, but it is also faithful to the 1957 Broadway musical by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.
 * 2) This marks Steven Spielberg's very first musical movie, and yet it proves to be one of his most ambitious and creative films to date.
 * 3) Unlike the musical and 1961 film, the audience actually gets to see Tony in action and its clear why he was such a feared and respected gang member when he was with the Jets. After Bernardo, a rising boxer in this film, pushes him too far by rejecting his attempts to reconcile and goading him into a fight by repeatedly punching him, Tony finally loses his cool and begins to beat Bernardo into a pulp, only stopping because he doesn't want to do to Bernardo what he did to a past rival gang member.
 * 4) * Likewise, Anybodys claims to fight as well as the Jets, but this is an Informed Ability in the stage version and 1961 film. In this film, Anybodys fights, punches, and kicks half the cops in the precinct and manages to get away, as he's still roaming around several hours later despite assaulting the police.
 * 5) **Also, his retort when he gets misgendered one too many times by A-Rab at the police station.
 * 6) While the film retains and beautifully renders the story's already iconic scenes — like the Jets' introduction, the balcony duet, and the rumble — Rita Moreno's heartbreaking performance of "Somewhere" is one of the most memorable moments in this version. The gorgeous scene of Tony and María singing "One Hand, One Heart" in The Cloisters is also a popular choice, as the lighting and cinematography distinguishes itself from the same scene in the 1961 film.
 * 7) The acting is mostly phenomenal, with Ansel Elgort, Mike Faist, David Alvarez, Ariana DeBose and Rita Moreno giving the performances of their lives (DeBose even winning an Oscar for her performance), but none more than Rachel Zegler, who undeniably gives off the best performance of the film.
 * 8) Cool and great antagonists.
 * 9) * Riff is more antagonistic in this version and Mike Faist gives a very energetic performance.
 * 10) *While Bernardo is presented in a more heroic light in this version, his bad traits are still present enough for him to qualify.
 * 11) Justin Peck's choreography pays beautiful homage to Jerome Robbins's original work by taking from its jazz/classical ballet/modern dance style whilst also being delightfully original.
 * 12) Harvey Evans, Bert Michaels, and David Bean, three of the original cast in 1961 film, appear in the movie.
 * 13) Steven Spielberg's directing is amazing.

The Only Bad Quality

 * 1) Many musical theater fans were confused as to why Spielberg cast Brian d'Arcy James, an award-winning musical theater actor who has been acclaimed for his singing and dancing abilities, as Officer Krupke, one of the only characters in the story who doesn't sing or dance in any numbers.

Reception
West Side Story received universal critical acclaim, with praise for the performances of the cast, Spielberg's direction and the cinematography, with some critics deeming it superior to the 1961 film. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 354 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.30/10. The website's consensus reads, "Steven Spielberg's West Side Story presents a new look at the classic musical that lives up to its beloved forebear – and in some respects might even surpass it.". Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 85 out of 100 based on 62 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it an 88% overall positive score, with 70% saying they would definitely recommend it.

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Trivia

 * The film's December 10, 2021 release date comes one day before Rita Moreno's 90th birthday and eight days before Steven Spielberg's 75th birthday.
 * It was also released at the time the original film celebrated its 60th anniversary.
 * The first Steven Spielberg-directed film from 20th Century Fox/Studios to have the studio's production logo play normally with its fanfare at the beginning of the film since Lincoln (2012), after being sped up and kept silent on Bridge of Spies (2015) and The Post (2017).
 * While Amblin Entertainment is never shown in promotional posters and opening logo, it is included at the end credits.
 * With Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, it is the fifth collaboration between Steven Spielberg and Disney, after War Horse, Lincoln, Bridge of Spies and The BFG.