West Side Story Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs

1. It's A Rare Remake That Improves Upon The Original

Generally speaking it's an impressive achievement if a remake of a classic movie is "pretty good" and doesn't inspire feelings of hatred or annoyance from fans of the original, but Spielberg's West Side Story goes so, so much further than that.

It's not something to declare lightly, but this new take is on the balance of averages a general improvement over the '61 film, offering up a more technically robust, visually adventurous, thematically resonant, and character-driven riff on the story.

Again, purists might take issue with some of the changes made, but accepting Spielberg's film in its entirety, it is a fiercely confident remake that more than justifies its existence beyond mere box office dollars.