MovieChat Forums > West Side Story (2021) Discussion > Mixed bag across the board

Mixed bag across the board

posted 2 years ago by Snoopy828 (496)
3 replies | jump to latest

I tried. I really tried to go into this movie giving it a fair shake. But it was such a mixed bag of epic proportions. I love the play, I own the 61 movie, and I've seen in on stage three times. And I'm not one of these Spielberg is old and losing his touch guys (he's still one of the best). Although his older efforts are not as impressive as Steven in his prime.

Pros: The biggest pro is that the majority of this cast were broadway actors, which I absolutely love. Most musicals nowadays insist on casting Hollywood actors who can barely carry a tune. I'm sorry it's a musical I want a singer/dancer first, actor second.

It was good to see Steven cast appropriate for the new movie. However, I'm not going to dismiss Natalie Wood's performance in the original (still love it). Zegler's voice is amazing, and she was not a bad choice for Maria.

Musical numbers: Cool was great in this film. I never loved this song, and it always came across as a filler song to me. But I liked how it was done here. Also all dance choreography was quite good. But I'm easy to please when it comes to dance.

The fights scenes in this one was FAAAAAAR superior to the original, but that wasn't a hard feat to accomplish. The fight scenes have aged terribly in that 61 movie.

Mixed: the direction. Who am I to criticize SS? he's one of the best. I say the direction is mixed because some scenes are absolutely great while others feel like they were ghost directed. Almost feels like I'm watching episodes of Glee in certain spots. I thought Steven would give this film more of it's own identity but it really feels like a copy/paste job in certain spots. And the spots he tries to do different, they kinda fall flat on their face.

Cons: Aside from Riff and Bernardo nobody really stood out to me here. Well Brian D'arcy James is always welcome, but he didn't necessarily stand out. I know Ariana Debose is getting all the buzz but I'm sorry I don't see it. She was not good enough to shine Rita Morena's boots. Speaking of Morena I really didn't care for the choice to omit Doc from this movie. It especially didn't make much sense to me especially considering Spielberg was playing up the racial conflict between the two gangs.

Maria and Tony: Look Beymer was wooden in the original. I won't pretend he wasn't. But my god Ansel Elgort just ruins everything. Him and Zegler had no chemistry whatsoever. Also, he looks like he's a decade older than her and molesting her at times (life imitating art I guess).

The whole subtitle controversy: Steven your reasoning for omitting subtitles is absolutely ridiculous. My wife speaks fluent Spanish, but I do not. Therefore, I do not know what is being said in certain scenes. That should be self-explanatory.

Musical numbers: one hand, one heart was dull lifeless. Officer Krupke felt OFF. Idk I love these songs and most of them didn't work for me. The dance scene was so-so. Tonight, and Maria, I could go on.

Overall i tried with this movie. If you all love it, you can have it. I'll keep the 61 version. I'll never watch this movie again

As for the Oscar buzz. Let's be real. If SS name wasn't attached to this project there would be no academy recognition. Tick Tick Boom and In the heights were the far superior musicals of 2021.

[–] R_Kane (15828) 2 years ago

"Sorry, not sorry" is the dumbest and most despicable boilerplate catch-phrase imaginable. It's for people who lack the nerve to say "fuck you,"

Fuck you, OP.

[–] Snoopy828 (496) 2 years ago

oK I fixed it for you. now go and cry somewhere else you jerk

[–] Ed (523) 2 years ago

Just watched on Disney. My quick thoughts:

Maria was very good! Natalie Wood is prettier and more wholesome, but otherwise the new Maria was pretty enough, could sing very well, and acted well.

Anita was bland. Tony could sing (sort of, great voice no doubt but very poor emoting), but Ansel is a bad actor. Wooden, walks funny, has this arrogant smirk a lot, sorry I didn’t like him.

Spielberg really opened up the world. It feels realistic. The 61 film was much more theatrical and used a more glorious sense of coloring. Which is better? Just depends on what the viewer wants in a musical. I prefer the slight artificiality of the 61 film.

Choreography in the new film is inferior by a LONG shot to the 61 film. Oh, the dancing is on par, but what they’re dancing is unmemorable. Just look at what Spielberg did to the America number. Egads. I applaud him for staging many of the numbers very differently, to the point that his WSS feels like a different film than Wise’s version.

Pacing is uneven. Nonmusical sequences sometimes just drop dead and drag, especially if Ansel is acting. Sorry, that’s a major miscast there, even if he has a good voice. Should have picked a Good actor and just dubbed the singing again.

No subtitles? Bloody hell, it wasn’t just a few scenes here and there, it was virtually every single scene with a Puerto Rican! I don’t m8nd reading subtitles. spielberg lost a LOT of potential audience with this decision. Too bad.

The new WSS isn’t bad. But I like the 61 version better. No contest.