Review of West Side Story (2021) by Compi24 — 11 Dec 2021

Whereas Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins's 1961 film felt more like a filmed rendition of the actual experience of watching the musical in question, Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" feels like a true cinematic adaptation of the narrative at hand, complete with more realistic-looking sets, a more frank approach to handling the racially charged subject matter at hand and more immersive choreography.

It's been a minute since I've seen the original adaptation, but at first blush I'd say this gives its predecessor a solid run for its money -- and that movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture. The cast is terrific, the music is (expectedly) fantastic and the changes made -- while slight and few -- are handled with a tender hand.

Definitely a hard film to bag on.