West Side Story2021

66/100 I didn't know this was a musical before getting into it, but I'm glad it is. This is an early modern take on Romeo and Juliet, updated to comment on the gang violence of the 1960s, and it accomplishes it somewhat well, yet ends up heavily flawed. The one thing I can unambiguously praise here is Spielberg's direction. His sentimentality once again comes in use giving this story the touch of emotion it needs. The camera movements and colour grading are also really good here, leading to some masterful visuals which remind you just how much of a master Spielberg is. However, almost everything about the film other than that is a mixed bag, starting with the characters. I love Ariana DeBose's performance as Anita, and feel her Academy Award was well-deserved. I also found Mike Faist fun as Riff, and found his gang some nice side characters (even if they're racist). I also enjoyed the use of authentic Spanish and was interested by the film's representation of Latino culture, as well as a fascinating insight into the gang culture of the 60s. However, the issue with the film lies with the main characters. Their relationship is way too fast-paced, and with the film's rush, I didn't get to know either of them enough to care for them. Rachel Zegler's doing some heavy lifting with her acting for Maria, but it's not enough, and Ancel Elgort is utterly unconvincing as Tony. The musicals themselves, which are perhaps the most important aspect, are also middling. I don't think any of the songs are bad, they're all good when taken in isolation. However, my issue is that the story doesn't know how to utilize them well. The songs often contrast the tone and don't mesh well with the story as a result. The most egregious example of this is the happy song "I Feel Pretty" occurring right after gang leaders Bernardo and Riff are killed off, giving off way too much tonal whiplash after what's supposed to be a very tragic scene, undercut by this preppy musical number in what I feel was the worst of the movie's decisions. Overall, this movie feels weird. For everything there is to like, there's something to dislike, and yet it never quite manages to satisfactorily balance out. In the end, I did enjoy it more than I didn't, but there's so many issues here that I can't really call it good. It had potential for greatness, but overall ends up being very average.