West Side Story

Twentieth Century Fox | Release Date: December 10, 2021

7.1	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 225 Ratings

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superduperrandoDec 12, 2021

The only question I have after watching this film is why did it have to be made, and aren't people tired of the endless deluge of remakes of old classics?

12 of 16 users found this helpful124

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Butterballer1Dec 14, 2021

Spielberg accelerates his descent into irrelevence with a forgettable musical that should have been a lot of fun.

This felt like a bland paint-by-numbers musical with nothing new to offer except what I later found out is Spielberg'sSpielberg accelerates his descent into irrelevence with a forgettable musical that should have been a lot of fun.

This felt like a bland paint-by-numbers musical with nothing new to offer except what I later found out is Spielberg's heavy-handed diversity quotient. Diversity doesn't make a product good. It can only make a product better if it is suited for the material and if the actors are also chosen for their talent and the scripts are written to their strengths. This clearly was not the case with this film in which Spielgberg cares only about casting for race (which is not inherently bad in such a story, but it can't be the only thing...) and insists on making the Spanish language sections be unsubtitled in order to shame people who don't speak Spanish. This is a nice-looking nothing burger with a heavy side of forced social lecturing for absolutely no reason. The original material already handles such topics in a much more entertaining and effective way.… Expand

10 of 14 users found this helpful104

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berkcansDec 13, 2021

if Spielberg wanted a musical, he should have created his is own musical like Damien Chazelle. This polished yet shallow version of the classic musical wont be remembered. Ansel Elgort is very wooden.

11 of 19 users found this helpful118

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MateokubrickDec 14, 2021

Are you serious?????
Made just for the damn box office
Don't be so cowardly and don't be afraid of FAMOUS NAME

3 of 6 users found this helpful33

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ElthorMar 7, 2022

I suppose the original material is so good Spielberg couldn't completely destroy it, but he tried. 3 pts to Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim for the source material. None for the director of this film.

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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WayTooBadMar 27, 2023

Having subtitles is offensive:

This is from an actual interview with the director: Why did West Side Story ban subtitles? Spielberg said the choice was intentional. Using subtitles would be "very disrespectful" to Spanish-speakers, heHaving subtitles is offensive:

This is from an actual interview with the director:

Why did West Side Story ban subtitles?

Spielberg said the choice was intentional. Using subtitles would be "very disrespectful" to Spanish-speakers, he said, because it would have signaled that they weren't the intended audience.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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perliMar 21, 2022

It's my personal predilection that I nowadays rarely like this type of musicals with 50s music and dance numbers. I prefer to originals with Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, love Singin' in the Rain. Never really liked the original 60s version ofIt's my personal predilection that I nowadays rarely like this type of musicals with 50s music and dance numbers. I prefer to originals with Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, love Singin' in the Rain. Never really liked the original 60s version of West side story and I haven not noticed any added value in Spielberg's remake - I see no relevance of the move for audiences in 2022, and rather lackluster theater attendance in US and internationally seems to confirm my suspicion. The institutions - some critics uncritical accolades, Oscar nomanations etc - are pushing it, but the movie is mediocre, it has nothing to say about our specific day and age. And I do not buy that this is a universal story with eternal value, no, not really, then I prefer Shakespeare's Rome and Juliet in original version.… Expand

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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