Road to Oscars: West Side Story
Added 2022-03-24 15:20:20 +0000 UTCI went into this with very low expectations, and came out very pleasantly surprised. Of course, I should not have unestimated the power of a good Spielberg movie, but my knee-jerk reaction to reboots got the best of me. Right off the bat, the cinematography in West Side Story is mesmerizing. Janusz Kamiński’s camera operates in perfect harmony with the intricate music and dance numbers. I loved how the hyper-artificial lighting and studio sets harken back to the 1961 film, you can tell Spielberg has a great deal of reverence for it. And finally! A movie musical that prioritizes actual triple threats over big name actors! As a musical theatre nerd, I find it grating and insulting when big names are cast to play coveted musical roles that they don’t have the skills to deliver. I want to see people on screen who live and breathe this industry. Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, Mike Faist, and the rest of the cast were absolutely outstanding. Zegler in particular has such a great command over Maria’s (very very difficult) notes, and DeBose’s acting knocked me off my feet. Elgort, for whom I had the lowest expectations, actually shocked me quite a bit as well. Everyone cast in this production is a tried and true triple threat and it was so refreshing to see. Absolutely wonderful! If you can stomach movie musicals, give this a watch!
