It’s been a long time since something outside the realm of superheroes or space wizards has blown me away at the theater, but Steven Spielberg’s revival of West Side Story did just that. It’s a cinematic achievement on the level of Spielberg’s greatest, period, and when we’re talking Jaws and Jurassic Park, that’s not filler praise.
West Side Story is essentially Romeo and Juliet set during one fateful two-day stretch in 1957 New York City. On one side, the Jets, a white teenage street gang, and on the other, the Sharks, a rival Puerto Rican gang trying to establish a foothold in America after immigration. Caught in the middle are Tony and María, two young lovers who try to make it amidst the groups’ clash. There’s not much more to it than that plot-wise, and its simplicity is why it works so well (obviously, as the story is more than four centuries old).
For the rest of the review, click here and head over to the Martin City Telegraph.
