I’ve always thought the original West Side Story (1961) was close to perfect. I was not excited to see a remake of it. Remakes should focus on flawed films and make them better.
Much to my surprise, the new West Side Story (2021) shows the flaws in the original I simply didn’t see before. It’s a better movie is every way that matters. Highly recommended.
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Haven’t seen the new one. However, I’m suspicious, mostly because it’s a Steven Spielberg film, who has come in for lots of criticism on my blog. In addition, the original musical/film reset the Romeo & Juliet story in midcentury NYC, which I expect bears little demographic resemblance to 2021 or 2022. It was also partially an immigrant story, which the original Shakespeare never was. Further, the utterly brilliant musical score by Leonard Bernstein is admittedly dated by now, but updating it can only make it worse. Flawed original film? Sure. What isn’t? Corrected? Improved? Doubtful.
Felt the same. It’s definitely Spielberg’s style, with all the pros and cons that entails. But, it’s so well done it won me over. FYI, it’s not a modern movie. It’s a nostalgia piece, which I think plays to Spielberg’s strengths. I’d be interested in your take, if you decide to watch it.