There’s something so oxymoronic about the buffest guys you’ve ever seen doing ballet in the streets of New York.
Spielberg directs the shit out of this film. It’s a technically faultless masterpiece, whole scenes will leave you enamoured and put a smile on your face as you witness *cinema*. However, I don’t think this film’s story has aged particularly well, even with this modern update and therein where the problem lies.
The story does have elements that do feel timely and are explored to a satisfactory depth. The whole race war situation is handled so beautifully, with the film highlighting the fact that both sides competing for the land are doing so because they’re both victims of wealth inequality. An inspired and fascinating choice was how the film contextualised the Jetts, as being a stain on society as they’re white people who couldn’t make it, when they live in a time where’s it so easy for white people to make something of themselves. Thus highlighting the white privilege at the time, which in turn allows the problems faced by the Puerto Ricans on the basis of race to be exemplified. While simultaneously allowing the situations they’re all in due to wealth inequality to be shown.
This intersectionality through line is handled really well, alongside all of the plot points concerning the gangs. Really any time we got away from the romance (which I’ll get to) the film is fantastic. Mike Faist steals the show in these scenes, he’s magnetic on screen, for what could be quite a one noted character he manages to inject Riff with so many layers making him such an interesting multidimensional character. Ariana DeBose is another complete standout and delivers a flawless performance, it also helps that she has one of, if not, the best scene in the film performing America. And while he’s not given as much to do David Alvarez does a great job as Bernardo too.
The problem with the film is the central lynchpin, which is the romance. For one, while Rachel Zegler does a fantastic job as Maria, chewing up the scenes she’s in, Ansel Elgort (controversy aside) is really bland in this role. It’s not solely on him, the writing for Tony isn’t that great either, but he doesn’t do anything to further his character and feels stale compared to all the colourful cast of characters around him. The two of them clearly have chemistry but I just never felt emotionally attached to their relationship, their story moves so fast that it never feels that they’ve built the love we’re supposed to think they have. Now the love between them is obviously exaggerated as this is both Shakespearean and a musical, so the classic love at first sight trope is used, which I was easily able to get over. However, there’s a moment two thirds of the way through the film where this plot comes tumbling down and if you’ve seen it you’ll know what it is. A character forgives another character and this just completely comes out of nowhere.
The film up until this point is kind of perfect and this moment is so jarring it dampens the rest of the film. What’s worse is another character’s reaction to the person forgiving someone is so out of place as well. Granted this is just being faithful to the adaptation, but if you’re making a point to modernise the film then THIS felt like quite a big moment that could’ve used an update. Especially since the film built these two characters to be so head strong and assured, then suddenly that all went away in this scene. It just felt so weird for what the film was before this moment. Ask yourself would you forgive this person? What’s even stranger is after this moment, the film goes in a really interesting direction, however it’s how it gets there that brings the film down. Also another scene that could’ve used a modernised take was the rape scene, that felt completely hyperbolic and over the top, again coming out of nowhere.
It’s sad that this moment remains in the film cause technically the film is truly phenomenal. Spielberg directs some of the best, and most beautifully choreographed dance scenes in a film ever. The production design is incredible, along with the wide array of colourful costumes. Janusz Kamiński delivers some of the best cinematography of the year, any scene with big dance numbers was shot beautifully. And THE LIGHTING. THE LIGHTING. WOW. I was in awe of how well lit this film was, the scene under the bleachers was impeccable. The two gangs entering the salt warehouse too with the shadows. And there was enough lens flares to make JJ Abrams jealous.
Really sad that this film kept an incredibly jarring plot point that took away from the film when everything surrounding it was so good, but still a thoroughly good film that’s sure to put a smile on your face
★★★1/2
