West Side Story (2021) YIFY - Download Movie TORRENT

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by ElMaruecan82 6 / 10

An okay and savorless remake that should urge everyone to go watch or rewatch the "real" one...

To be honest, "West Side Story" remade by Steven Spielberg was more an object of curiosity than the kind of cinematic-offer-you-cant-refuse. I could accept the premise since the Best Picture winner of 1961 was already an adaptation of the stage musical by Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein, itself an umpteenth retelling of Romeo and Juliet (which wasn't even a novelty). Such material is likely to be retouched, revisited and readapted to a modern audience and baby-boomer Steven who was enamored with the play decided to make his own version for a 2020s audience. He did well but that's not saying much.Now, it was Godard who said the best way to criticize a film is to make your own and Spielberg's remake seems to carry some criticism against the original, and while enjoying both versions isn't an impossibility, one should question whether the changes enhance the story or not. Well, first the film doesn't take as many liberties as I expected: all the catchy songs featured in the original (practically all of them) are there... yet a few minor changes speak volumes about our world's overly sensitive mindset.I can already imagine screenwriter Tony Kushner torturing himself with an adjective rhyming with "any girl who's not me today" during the "I feel pretty" segment until Eureka-ing with "bright" and prompting Spielberg to switch the scene from morning to night. It sounded a bit off for the word 'gay' didn't have the same connotation in the late 50s when the film is supposed to take place, that Spielberg removes it shows that he's not as much a purist as his insistance to have the Sharks talk non-subtitled Spanish implies. Sorry but either you play the full-authenticity card or you don't. Now let's get to the controversial lack of subtitles in theaters.I saw it on Disney+ with subtitles but I can imagine the frustration in the theaters. If there's a point not to reveal the content of some exchanges, I understand, but depriving viewers from clear understanding in order to give a symbolic edge to the Puerto Ricans seems more like a guilt-trip move from a white director sucking up to the minority and it's utterly irrational. The Puerto-Rican chant might not have needed subtitles or some idioms like "guapa" or "vamos" etc, but following the same logic, wouldn't they sing "America, America" (or any songs for that matter) in Spanish then? Should we dismiss any film with foreign-speakers speaking English? Should we re-dub "Scarface"? How zealous should we get? How about suspension of disbelief, the essence of movie-making? Seriously, Spielberg's so-called respect to Spanish culture can hardly hide his desperate attempt to be 'relevant' and make the buzz through a little controversy. Not that it helped the film.Some good points though: Rachel Ziegler was as convincing as Natalie Wood in her portrayal of the sweet and delicate (but strong-willed) Maria and while Ansel Egort as Tony didn't bring much magnetism, neither did his predecessor Richard Beymer. But "WSS" is essentially a supporting cast film and the juiciest roles belong to Riff (Josh Andres a little less charming than Russ Tamblyn), Bernardo (David Alvarez reprising George Shakiris' role) and of course, Anita (Ariana DeBose taking the part of Rita Moreno). In fact, Anita is the central protagonist who displays the widest range of emotions, she has that big sister's supporting instinct with Maria, she's strong, naughty, saucy and sassy with men, using both her tongue, her moves and dresses as deadly weapons.And now, she belongs to these characters that won two Oscars by different actor like the Joker (Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix). De Bose would succeed to Moreno, who has a small but touching role as Tony's drugstore employer. A nice touch. On the other hand, Alvarez doesn't have Shakiris' magnetism and never strikes as a gang leader.Now, the film features a good deal deal of well-choreographed scenes and some brilliant camera-work from Spielberg, but they lacked the colors and the genuine punch of the original. The "America, America" song is one of the most iconic musicals moments of history and that it was shot in dark intimacy brightened the beautiful girls' dresses and the interactions with the boys made it look a fun inside joke, but Spielberg treats it as a Disney ensemble song shot in broad daylight... as for the "Tonight" song, I was so turned on by Rita Moreno putting on her stockings and saying she would get her kicks (for her little private mix), that I couldn't forgive they made her whisper that line in a church. The joke relieved that moment from its hot sexual tension.Speaking of DeBose, not saying she wasn't good, she nailed the part but her Oscar win confirmed a certain trajectory taken by the Oscars lately making the Best Supporting Actress the most predictable slot. It seems that all it takes is to have a female character a little more charismatic than the heroine, and that's it. De Bose seems to have fun being Anita, overplaying her accent and intonations and I wish there could be one silent scene that showcases her dramatic ability, there was such a moment, it lasted only three seconds.Anyway, it's worth watching this version to realize how the original stood the test of time, this one is a bit weaker but to the degree that it remained faithful to the original I kind of appreciated it, to the degree it tried to insert some relevant issues (although the tomboy girl seemed forced and gratuitous), I understood it, but to the degree that I like to rewatch masterpieces, I'll stick with the original. If anything, this film made me want to rewatch the 1961 classic.

Reviewed by dishjones 8 / 10

Not a huge musical fan, but really enjoyed WSS

This movie is really really well made. A little long, but for all the production value that went into it, it's completely worth it. A message that is just as relevant as today. All the acting, dancing, costumes, and overall production value are all absolutely top notch.

Reviewed by sbansban 8 / 10

Compared to Spielberg's Version the Original Now Seems Like a Diamond in the Rough

After hearing all the buzz about Spielberg's remake, I decided to check out the original all time classic version at home first. While I enjoyed the plotline and some of the acting, even some of the music, honestly, I thought I would not give it more than 6.5/10. The garish dresses, somewhat contrived sequences with supposedly nasty, tough gang members theatrically breaking into songs and dances - made me think that the execution left a lot to be desired and did not quite live up to its billing as an all time classic. But then, I generally dislike musicals (with some notable exceptions, of course) and thought may be it was a subjective thing.But after watching Spielberg's version, which I would rate 8.5/10, my impressions of the original were reinforced. The 2021 remake is everything the original could have been, but wasn't.Of course, Spielberg has had the unfair advantage of all the heaps of analysis and dissection that the original has been subjected to over the last 60 years, not to mention all the advances in the state of the art of cinema, so we will always respect the original, on the shoulders of which the 2021 version stands. But having said that, it just made me reflect on how far Hollywood and world cinema have come in these years.I can't say that all directors manage to take advantage of this progress (technical and artistic) when they remake old movies - a case in point being Bram Stoker's original 1922 black and white silent movie "Nosferatu - A Symphony of Horror." I remember the movie making a profound impression on me as a schoolboy, and even now, when I watch it again, I find it astounding how with rudimentary, crude technology still in its infancy (by today's standards), such a masterpiece was created - especially compared to Werner Herzog's 1979 remake - which, IMHO, ruined it with all kinds of uncalled for colorful scenes, costumes and what have you - which just did such a great job of distracting from and even destroying the suspense in the bare-bones original version. But I digress.In my opinion, in contrast, Spielberg has taken a diamond in the rough, and after ironing out the kinks (and dialing down the cheese) turned it into a sophisticated, polished gem. While he has remained very faithful to the original in terms of storyline, screenplay, songs and scenes, I found that the songs and dances seem much more organically integrated and realistic (well, as realistic as a gang can make them seem), and the costumes, visuals and acting are all a huge improvement on the original, not to mention the excellent cinematography and set design that one almost takes for granted these days. And talking about set design, the original had the advantage of recreating the sets from the same time period but then the 2021 version perhaps has the advantage of knowing what from that period has been romaticized in the psyche of the audience after all these years to enable it to press the right buttons to evoke a sense of nostalgia.The protagonists in this sort of a movie, IMHO, need to bring a certain eye-candy factor, and the remake - with the All-American white boy next door Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler, with an uncanny resemblance to AOC - was that deliberate?) - improves on that aspect too.So what's on my personal wish list for the next remake, whenever that might happen? First of all, it might seem like lobotomy to strip a musical (and a classic one at that) of its songs and dances, but I am curious to see just what such a version might look like - especially given my general bias against musicals. In addition, I never understood why literature types, academics (for centuries) and many film critics seem to prefer a tragic ending in order to label a story / a movie a classic, but I would love to see an ending that is less destructive and sad - perhaps with both Tony and Maria managing to escape to some place very, very far away.

West Side Story

2021

Action / Crime / Drama / Musical / Romance

West Side Story

2021

Action / Crime / Drama / Musical / Romance

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Movie Reviews

An okay and savorless remake that should urge everyone to go watch or rewatch the "real" one...

Not a huge musical fan, but really enjoyed WSS

Compared to Spielberg's Version the Original Now Seems Like a Diamond in the Rough

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