This was my return to the cinema, and it was sorta the perfect movie for that, in that it was just a pure joy.
In the Heights is kinetic and upbeat from the start and it manages to carry this energy throughout its very lengthy runtime. I’ll start off positive by saying this is superbly acted, I can’t fault a single actor (maybe the scenes with LMM just cause they were so jarring) and I can’t wait to see what they do next. Sonny and Abuela were the standouts for me, they ate up every scene they were in. The main 4 though were also outstanding, in singing and in the effortless acting, actually the whole cast managed to capture the feeling of a community so well, it was a treat to watch. Particularly Anthony Ramos and Melissa Barrera, despite some plot choices I didn’t love, they both sang, danced and acted their hearts out and I really hope they get some more roles after this. The music as expected was also incredible, I have some gripes with it, mainly Vanessa’s verses felt so disjointed from the rest of the songs, I get that it was trying to be a motif but when you have a super upbeat song cut by a ballad verse it loses the momentum the song built up. It’s clear that LMM wrote this before Hamilton, despite the music being good, it doesn’t have the polish Hamilton does.
Now despite me liking the more ‘musical’ aspects of the film, it’s the cinematic aspects that let the film down for me. When the songs revolved around a set piece I thought the directed and choreography was super strong, however when that wasn’t the case, which was a majority of the songs, the directing felt a bit sloppy. Often the film would try add fantastical elements to these less action packed songs and it just felt out of place with the rest of the film, from weird visual effects to horrible editing. Consistently throughout the film the editing was jarring, for one it wasn’t consistent and some parts stood out like a sore thumb and also it was far too fast paced that it didn’t let scenes breath or let the audience get a sense of the blocking of the scenes. The camerawork can be partially to blame for this too as it was disorientating what was going on at some points. Which is disappointing as this film had the potential to be visually stunning.
That being said with all its flaws it still manages to do what it sets out to do well, and that is be a joyous celebration of culture that in the big moments feels magical and is a marvel to look at. If you’re looking for a fun film to watch with great music and some fun light characters with a beautiful message then this is for you.
★★★1/2
