Steven Spielberg’s retelling of the tale of ill-fated irrational lovers set during the 1950s in the West Side of Manhattan is just as magical and tragic as the source material is. He created a musical for the ages that oozes with vibrancy, emotion and energy. Every frame reflects his love for the musical.

In the production of the 1961 adaptation, Natalie Wood, George Chakiris, and even Rita Moreno, a Latina actress, were put in brownface makeup sparking controversies. Sixty years later, Spielberg did a conscious choice of casting Latinx actors, who often spoke Spanish with no subtitles, giving more authenticity to the representation in the film.

Spielberg took a more grounded and realistic approach giving more emphasis on the political context of the film. Tony Kushner adapted the story to a screenplay, highlighting the motivation of the characters and their social situations.

The film introduces us to a camera that move along the San Juan Hills showing debris of the demolished buildings introducing us to the finger-snapping, ballet-dancing gang, the Jets and its leader Riff (played by Mike Faist). Further into the scene are the Jets, whom are vandalizing a Puerto Rican flag in which the rivaling gang, the Sharks, responded to along with their leader Bernardo (played by David Alvarez). It gave a more realistic tension between the two gangs fighting for a turf where they’ll be shoved off soon.

Every musical number is as lively, inviting and magical as a musical can be with numbers such as “Jet Song” in which by the end of the number, the Jets stood tall on a mountain of debris claiming what seems to feel like an empty victory. The number “America”, led by Ariana DeBose, felt like a festive battle between the pursuit of the American Dream and stepping away from it and set on the streets of New York during daylight. A few changes have also been made to some numbers like setting “Gee, Officer Krupke” inside a police station, and making “Cool” an intimate and playful number between Tony and Riff with a lurking tension underneath.

The central plot-point driving the film sparked during the dance in a high school gymnasium. The entire scene started with a camera following the Sharks inviting us to a gym filled with very spirited choreography and telling a story along with it. It is where the star-crossed lovers first locked each other’s eyes. Here, Ansel Elgort’s Tony and Rachel Zegler’s Maria dance along with Janusz Kaminski’s soft and dreamlike cinematography.

It is during “Tonight” when Tony and Maria fell in love with each other, giving off an enchanting feeling that you just can’t help but fall in love along with them. Adam Stockhausen created a fire escape outside Maria’s apartment to set the number that echoes the obstacles that tries to keep these lovers away from each other until the song invites them to come together to feel the intimacy between them.

One of the most notable changes in this retelling is the replacement of Doc with his widow Valentina, a representation on the hope of a harmonious relationship that seemed to be lost. Rita Moreno played the character with such tenderness and gave us a heartbreaking version of “Somewhere”.

This film introduces us to new stars from Mike Faist bringing a menacing figure but with the appeal of old Hollywood stars to David Alvarez with a strong sense of leadership, machismo and charisma. But I think one of the main highlights of the film is Ariana DeBose’s electrifying, feisty, and commanding performance, and Rachel Zegler who brought a bright, youthful and lovely presence to the screen.

From the inviting camera movements that dances along with the actors, the festive energy of the choreography to the depth added on the characters and plot, Spielberg’s re-adaptation of this classic manages to stand on its own while still carrying what made West Side Story the classic that it is.

10/10