My bona-fides on West Wide Story are limited… I saw and loved the original film but have only seen it once a long time ago. I have not seen the stage play. I went into this new film hoping that it could, if nothing else, hit me hard with that punctuation mark of an ending. That’s what I hoped for most… and that’s what I got.

Stephen Spielberg’s new version is set in a believable, gritty, decaying, dusty NYC neighborhood that’s about to be torn down. This is, in fact, the gritty reimagining of the source material… and, for once, that’s not a cynical eye-rolling insult from me. This movie looks amazing – Spielberg and his camera live and breath and swoop and swirl throughout this film. It pops with color, usually from the wardrobe, but also the exuberance of some of the numbers. This is Spielberg at his absolute best… knowing how to smash together reality and fantasy.

The first half of the film felt a little weighed down by the juxtaposition of the gritty reality and the performers who look the part but still dance and twirl and sing like the original. The film doesn’t exist in the same technicolor heightened reality except for the song and dance numbers. This was kind of discordant to me… the two halves didn’t quite mesh.

This would still have been a pretty great film though. The cinematography and the performance are still great. But it’s that second half – the half that contains that gut punch moment – that really knocked me out. Once the rumble happens, the two halves of the film collide and suddenly the grittier reality of the film matches perfectly with the story, acting, and the songs.

The end – that final blast – is still shocking. It’s Spielberg’s camera work, editing, and use of darkness. Plus young Rachel Zegler as Maria’s fierceness, frustration, and anger. She’s very powerful in this film, moving from virginal and right to this rage and sadness. She is a fresh, beautiful young lady with a great singing voice… and her line delivery of, “I can kill now because I hate now” is perhaps the most powerful and meaningful moment in the film.

I’m not the first to bag on Ansel Elgort as Tony. I don’t see it. I like Elgort well enough but he’s too boyish and fresh-faced for the gang he allegedly ran with. They try to pepper in some darker backstory for him but he never really works in context of his surroundings. I suppose he’s fine with Zegler because they have to be a pretty Hollywood couple… and he can sing (which was unexpected).

Overall, I really, really enjoyed this picture and that’s fantastic. Just being able to nail that emotional crush despite being ready for it is enough. In that it looks amazing and is performed very well takes it over the top. Take my money, Mr. Spielberg, you’ve earned it. Again.

Score: 94