No matter your opinion of the Golden Globes, it is a shame that the problems faced by the HFPA this year have potentially threatened the Awards in 2022. For once, the Best Musical/Comedy category would have been able to celebrate actual musicals and comedies – and yes, we are talking about the 2015 winner, Ridley Scott‘s laugh-a-minute riot The Martian.

2021 has seen a large number of potential contenders… and Dear Evan Hansen. Tick, Tick… Boom explored the life of a man, Jonathan Larson, who was heavily inspired by Stephen Sondheim, while In The Heights followed the lives of Latinx people living in Upper Manhattan. Now, Steven Spielberg brings the two elements together with a new version of a musical about Latinx people in Upper West Side Manhattan written by Stephen Sondheim.

Courtesy of 20th Century Studios

It is a classic reimagining of the original West Side Story, itself set in New York City in the late Fifties. One might wonder if this was a lost opportunity to put a new spin on the tale of two star-crossed lovers, itself a musical interpretation of Romeo and Juliet.

In a way, Spielberg re-doing West Side Story makes perfect sense. After all, the filmmaking titan has always been one for the classics & nostalgia; for example, Raiders Of The Lost Ark was his ode to the action serials of the 30s & 40s. So when he said he had always wanted to direct a musical, how could it be anything less than one of the greats, and one of the films that caused him to fall in love with the genre in the first place? That being said, he is not afraid to put his own stamp on things.

At the start of the film, as the camera pans down over an area of New York in a state of turmoil, we see the Upper West Side being torn down to make way for the Lincoln Art Center, in a stab at the ongoing gentrification of New York. However, the heartbreak of it all comes from how, while the Sharks and Jets fight each other for the scraps, they fail to recognise that they are the same. Their true enemy is the upper classes and capitalist society forcing them from their homes.

Courtesy of 20th Century Studios

There is also a modern take on the character of Anybodys (Iris Menas), who is here portrayed as a Trans person as opposed to a simple Tomboy. There is also a gender swap to the parental figure in Doc’s drug store: instead of Doc himself, it is now his wife Valentina, played by Rita Moreno (who won an Oscar for portraying Anita in the original film). She is given one of the most memorable songs, Somewhere, originally sung by Maria, though her version is now tinged with as much regret and pain as it is with hope.

Corey Stoll stars as the Police Chief in one of his “toupée or not toupée” roles, while Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez and Mike Faist all bring that Broadway shine from the stage to the silver screen. However, a Star is truly born with the discovery of Rachel Zegler as Maria.

No stranger to recognising star quality (Henry Thomas in E.T., a young Christian Bale in Empire Of The Sun), Spielberg has found true talent once again. Every time Zegler appears on screen, she is simply luminescent, able to power the Manhattan grid with a smile alone. And she is no slouch in the vocal department either.

Courtesy of 20th Century Studios

It is a shame then that she is saddled with performing opposite a Hoover for large parts of the film. In the role of Tony, Ansel Elgort is a complete charisma vacuum – his emotional range is as flat as his singing voice, making him by far the film’s weakest link. He may have the look of a young, Fifties greaser type, but a cardboard cut out of James Dean would more than likely have been a better on-screen partner for Zegler. Ultimately, there was no story of more woe than the lack of chemistry between our Juliet and her Romeo.

The inability to invest in the central relationship that drives the narrative is a huge handicap. However, the energetic direction and choreography keeps the audience’s attention throughout. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but the Master proves that he still has plenty left to give cinema. There are plenty of moments demonstrating that old Spielbergian magic, such as the overhead silhouettes of the gangs entering a warehouse or the editing of Tonight (quintet).

From a physical and emotional standpoint, the end result is not quite a rumble in the Bronx, more of a fumble in the asphalt jungle. As pure cinematic spectacle however, this version of West Side Story is still pretty finger-clicking good.

West Side Story is in cinemas now.