Being a Spielberg fan and believing WSS is great music and a great film that I remember seeing as a teen when it came out, I felt I had a good appetite for this, and thought okay these people look good, though theyre not Wood/Beymer/Chakiris/Moreno, and it's got its feet on the ground not in the sky, no shots of NYC from above, and so much of the classic was filmed from above, but here we are earthbound; okay, and yes, the dancing is more balletic, the singing more authentic and full throated, but at the half way point I thought Spielberg had made a mistake, he had made a fair copy but why spaff all that money to make a poor substitute? However it's the last third of the film that departs into considerably more dramatic mode, and this is where the Kushner/Spielberg pairing shines. They've created something which made me think this could stand side by side with Shakespeare without shame. I think he might have approved and wept.

The legend who is Steven Spielberg has certainly made another masterpiece. WEST SIDE STORY was absolutetly incredible! I always appreciate and search for films with plenty of heart and this one never missed a beat! The characters are energetic and full of personality and from the get go you're imersed and believing in the world/spaces presented. Theres an ernestness often amiss in modern cinema, but that is not the case for West Side Story.

Wonderful casting and Choreography brought the whole story alive absolute adored those scenes in the street with the colours used for the art direction.