West Side Story (Streaming) review

[David Vaughn]

This is something I haven’t done before.  I am kind of radically re-reviewing a movie.  I have usually liked a movie more when I see it a second time.  I get to catch the details and how the plot is driven. Rarely, do I like it even slightly less. I rate this movie as “good”, a step or two down.
 
I took another look at West Side Story. First, I like musical, which are few these days.  I was excited about the return to the movie theatre and frankly, the return of a great musical with Rita Moreno.
 
I agree strongly now with both David (especially about the casting of Tony) and BMoney.  First the movie is less of a love story, that got me through the original, and more of a violent retelling.  BMoney sites America and Krumke as not being done well, but the movie is missing Jerome Robbins who did an incredible with all the numbers, many of which were uplifting. Here they are often depressing by making them political not social.
In the original, Marie sings “I Feel Pretty” a lively, happy, song before the rumble and the death of her brother.  Here, she sings igt after two people have violently died and it doesn’t fit.
I realize that I never connected with the new Anita, but I did with Rita Moreno in the original. In the original Anita was the heart of the movie, here, once again, Rita Moreno was, but it was supporting role.
 
Where I would change the movie:
It doesn’t end well and here it makes even less sense.  Riff and Bernardo are killed. Maria really doesn’t mourn, but makes love to Tony hours after.  Even though they know each other for less than 24 hours she forgives him and wants to run away with him.  It makes less sense than ever. (In both movies.)
 
So I wondered what would have been a better ending.:
How about Bernardo does kill Riff but then both sides stop and realize how wrong it was. No one else is killed and the Sharks and Jets, as they diod at the end of the movie, kind of realize how  bad things have gotten.
 
But Maria see her brother as a killer and wants no part of him.  So she leaves him and goes to Tony as they leave the inner city.

I need to watch the original in full...I've only seen bits and pieces. Ralph assures me its much better!

[Barry]

Ralph is always very perceptive. I’d like to get your opinion. Although I always thought Steven Spielberg did very well with sharks!

[bmoney]

I’m usually the opposite. I like a movie better the second time around. But kudos to you for revisiting it and being honest. 

[AVSCraig]

I’m usually the opposite. I like a movie better the second time around. But kudos to you for revisiting it and being honest.

Same here, unless I hated it the first time. Then I could re-evaluate it or despise it more and never watch it again. Since I'm fairly choosey about movies to begin with, so watching films I hate rarely happens.