West Side Story has recently hit the screens, after it’s original Broadway release in 1957. However, it’s award winning Steven Spielberg who directs this remake, meaning that there is a lot of high expectations set from fans.
Empire recently reviewed the film and rated it 5/5, however, does it live up to the hype?
I had never watched West Side Story before, but I know that it was roughly based on Romeo and Juliet. Bearing this in mind, I wasn’t sure what to expect - apart from a cinematic masterpiece.
The dancing was spectacular, and the way Spielberg transformed this narrative was amazing.
Although I don’t have anything to compare the film to (as I haven’t seen the original), I did think that the first half dragged, and wasn’t too exciting. It wasn’t until the second half that I really began to enjoy the film and appreciate it’s amazing cinematography and structure.
Was it worth the five star review, though?
Steven Spielberg had big shoes to fill: directing a remake of the classic and much-loved West Side Story was already a big task, but with his credentials and awards, it was only right that the film was expected to be wonderful.
The directing and cinematography was amazing, however I think I have seen musicals which are much better than this. For example, In the Heights (which was released in the summer and also a remake of a Broadway show) was a lot better in both music and cinematography, and received much less hype in the media.
So, was it Spielberg’s credentials and the excitement of a classic remake that made the media shudder with excitement and give it high ratings?
Personally, I would give it 3.5/5 stars, stretching to a 4.
I would definitely watch it again, but not in the way I rewatched musicals like In the Heights and Hamilton.
What do you think?
By Grace Wells
Comments