You're right! Spielberg's West Side Story is so good that it cannot get any better, I agree it shouldn't be remade at all.
I thought Spielberg was taking on a major risk remaking WSS. The movie is considered a flop financially but the film itself is still wonderful. One of his best.
It went up 27% on Monday from last Monday. The only existing wide release to go up at all in box office Monday. This is genuine word-of-mouth kicking in. Given the low level of box office it's at though, it doesn't seem like it's going to help its financial prospects much. Could be at $30m domestic by next Monday, maybe hit over $40m in the end, or $50m if some really crazy holds start taking place. The Numbers - Daily Box Office Chart for Monday December 27, 2021
If we assume that WSS '61 was filmed in 1960 and WSS '21 was filmed in 2019, we get: Tony/Beymer 22 Tony/Elgort 25 Maria/Wood 22 Maria/Zegler 19 Riff/Tamblyn 26 Riff/Faist 27 Anita/Moreno 29 Anita/DeBose 28 Bernardo/Chakiris 26 Bernardo/Alvarez 25 Most of the '61 cast had some film cred: Beymer in "Diary of Anne Frank", Tamblyn in "High School Confidential", Moreno in "Singin' In The Rain" and "The King And I", and of course Wood was an actual Movie Star (TM). But none of them did their own singing. Ghost singers aren't accepted these days, so Spielberg's cast came mostly from Broadway, plus a worldwide search for Maria.
In retrospect, it should've been set in DC: AOC as Maria Madison Cawthorn as Tony Ilhan Omar as Anita Ben Shapiro as Riff Hunter Biden as Bernardo Rand Paul as Doc Rachel Maddow as Anybodys Tom Cotton as Krupke and Joe Manchin singing "Somewhere" Then it would've gotten media buzz from the fights in the aisles!
This age difference is the most problematic though. The character's behavior starts to just seem odd at this higher age. Anybodys/Oakes 16 Anybodys/Menas 29
I won't dissuade you from liking it, but when a critic the caliber of Leonard Maltin (who I generally agree with) shrugs his shoulders at the film, that tells me he and I are still in sync. The mass audience clearly agrees, and the trade press is reporting accurate statements that the movie bombed financially. I don't dispute there are great films that make no money, bad films that make tons of money, bad films that make no money, and sometimes OK films that barely break even. And those often don't gibe with what I personally like and what I want to see. And there are well-made films that are bad, well-made films that are great, and also good films that are not very well-made. So the visual/technical quality of the film is another factor beyond good/bad/successful. I don't dispute that West Side Story is a really good looking film. (Although I was again annoyed by the AutoTuned vocals in the theatrical mix.)
The Auto-Tune took me out of the performances. I really wish they would dial it down more or not use it at all. If one can hear it, then it's being overused.
Rundown of the current online ratings... Rotten Tomatoes: 93% All Critics, 8.3/10 score 93% Top Critics, 8.6/10 score 89% All Audience, 4.4/5 score 94% Verified Audience, 4.6/5 score Rotten Tomatoes ranks it their 10th best of the year, in a list based on "adjusted score": Top 100 Movies of 2021 - Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic: Metascore 85, Universal Acclaim, Must-see User score 7.2, Generally favorable reviews IMDB: 7.9/10 with 19K votes Compared to the original 1961 movie: 7.5/10 with 106K votes Letterboxd appears to rank it 9th best of the year, with a 4.02 score (the #1 movie has a 4.29): 10 Highest Rated Movies Of 2021, According To Letterboxd
West Side Story has had quasi remakes in Grease and Baz Luhmann's Romeo + Juliet. Both of which appealed to younger viewers, as they were free of any baggage that comes with a true remake.
Yeah, I have no problem with casting for diversity, but every time Anybodys was onscreen it took me out of the moment. Part of it was the age of the performer as you say. But also having a born-as-male individual who's now transgender female playing a character that was played in previous productions by a female as a tomboy speaking lines like "I ain't no girl" was quite confusing.
Maybe that amazing musical score and songs are taken for granted these days. I haven't read much on the music which is the heart of the show. I thought it was beautifully done in this movie. My only disappointment was how they handled "Somewhere." It fit the movie's tone and I understand that they would want to give Rita Moreno her moment but I wish it was still sung by Tony and Maria, even briefly. An admitted nitpick.
I don’t think that’s a nitpick. The decision to give that song to a new character rather than to Tony and Maria seriously affected the emotional climax of the film, IMHO. I loved it, but that one thing made this film much less than the original, for me.
I agree with that, a poor decision. I was ultimately disappointed in this version but do plan to revisit it on blu-ray/streaming now that I know how it was done so I can critique it based on its own merits, instead of comparing it to the 1961 classic. I don't think it held a candle to the original in terms of cinematography and choreography (although at times the original is perhaps a bit TOO choreographed, I'm thinking of Maria and Anita moving in sync with the music on "A Boy Like That"). The auto-tune, while not as extreme as most musicals these days, took me out of the film more than a ghost singer would have. It also didn't help that someone near me in the theatre went on their cell phone twice for several minutes, till I finally said sternly "Could you please put your cell phone away? It's very distracting".
The original is free on YouTube. Not sure if they're trying to compete with the new one or promote it:
Ariana DeBose will be the host for the January 15th episode of Saturday Night Live: ‘SNL’ Returns January 15 With Ariana DeBose & Roddy Ricch – Deadline
I've been looking for a thread on the new version, did NOT expect so much bitterness in the thread (movie-related or otherwise) Came to say that I'm absolutely impressed by the soundtrack album itself. So well recorded, great sound, great dynamics. And Dudamel's conducting is incredible. If there indeed are pitch corrections throughout the soundtrack, they're not glaring as some have claimed. Even if they were, at least they aren't overdubs like in the original, I'm happy with that As for the film itself, it's Spielberg at his most meticulous. Never did really take him as seriously as some other director's I love, but the guy sure knows how to make the best of each and every frame. The downside is that the movie only works if you know WSS beforehand. Otherwise it's quite quaint and old-fashioned and not sure it'd work as a standalone musical in 2021. (And also, personally, there's so much blue all over the photography. It's obviously intentional, but I remember the original being extremely red. An interesting choice)