Aight, so…

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…I liked it.

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The intro sequence with The Jets pulled me in.

The cast was absolutely incredible.

The choreography was hittin’ on some nostalgia.

The music was “chef’s kiss.” Shouts to Leonard Bernstein. Rest in peace to the legend, Stephen Sondheim.

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Rachel Zegler did what needed to be done as “María.” She was the best surprise. I was stunned by her talent and her performance. She has a voice that takes you back to the Golden Era of Hollywood’s legendary musicals. A crisp, clear tone. Absolutely exquisite.

I was in the theater, mouth agape, when I heard her sing her first note during the balcony scene to “Tonight.”

Bihhhhh…

She ate. And I loved it.

I enjoyed navigating María’s naïveté. She was introduced as this gullible, almost cartoon-ish character with a child-like sensibility, and throughout each of the film’s three acts, she blossomed into this mature being with the confidence of “Sasha Fierce.”

Ariana DeBose is a stunner. I mean, I’m not surprised. The girl has been working for years. I admired Rita Moreno as “Anita” in the original film’s adaptation of the famed stage play, but seeing DeBose in this role really did something for me.

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The original film is a “problematic fave,” especially for its practice of skin-darkening makeup for the cast who portrayed Puerto Rican citizens. I remember my shock when the cast was first released for this Steven Spielberg-helmed remake. I was flabbergasted that “Hollywood” got it “right” and finally casted multi-hued Afro-Latinx folx. I appreciated the screenplay’s nod to DeBose’s Anita struggle to racially pass like her counterparts—they really worked that survival technique into the updated screenplay. (But something about this film’s screenplay still felt off. And I cannot put my finger on it.)

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Moving on to Mike Faist, who plays Riff, leader of the Jets. He was probably the best overall performer out of everyone. He and Zegler stole the show for me.

Now, the Jets will continue to be the absolute lamest street gang in cinematic history, but he killed this role. That man was gliding across the screen like he was a descendant of Gene Kelly. Wanna talk impressed…I need him in all musicals going forward. The man’s got a set of pipes and can dance his ass off. Give him a seven-picture deal somebody. Highly impressed.

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Things I could’ve done without:

—Rita Moreno‘s character: I wept when I saw her name listed as a producer during the closing credits. Madame Moreno is an icon. She helped an industry see the beauty, the talent, the tenacity of a people, and she faced a lot of criticism from oppressors and her own folks throughout her tenured career. She deserves more than what she’s received from the industry, in my humble opinion. However comma, I do not think we needed her as a character in this adaptation. I loved the ode to her. I love that she’s being utilized in the remake of the film that launched her into the stratosphere. But god, did it feel forced. 😐😐

—Ansel Elgort‘s portrayal of “Tony:” Glancing over Elgort’s troubled history for a moment, I think he was an adequate “Tony.” His singing surprised me, but I can’t say I’m a big fan of his work. He seems to lack the enthusiasm, charisma, and charm that a good’t Tony should have. His portrayal felt a bit clumsy. At some points, I believed him. (Or, I wanted to.)

I believed he had fallen madly, desperately in love with María. But then, like halfway through the Sharks v. Jets fight, I was like “…him?!” Rachel Zegler did most of the convincing for me. Had she not been exceptional as María, their chemistry would have fell flat.

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There was still something off about this film. The curl just…ain’t curl…quite the right way. Just not enough of something for me. “West Side Story” is a difficult narrative to get right, I guess. The updates from the original film, including actually casting a rainbow of Latinx actors and adding in different sets for its iconic melodies, just was not enough to uplift this film.

The directing and cinematography were absolutely superb. Like, let’s not play. There seemed not be an element out of place. But…

I feel like this narrative is probably is best served as a stage play. Something about this film’s tone felt…meh.

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One thing I appreciated most was the need not to add subtitles to the non-English portions of the film’s screenplay. Using context clues are a lost craft in language arts. Even if you do not understand Spanish, the actors’ supreme abilities and the film’s accompanying score does all the work for ya! 😜😜