West Side Story Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs

1. It Loses Steam In The Third Act

Though Spielberg does a generally upstanding job of carrying the audience to the finish line, it's tough to deny that the film loses a lot of its propulsive, joyous energy in the more downcast third act.

This is in part because this remake can't fix the source material's biggest problem - the speed with which Maria forgives Tony (Ansel Elgort) following an horrific act.

Fans have complained about this aspect of the story since the play's release - not to forget it being inspired by Romeo + Juliet - but it feels decidedly more unconvincing in this version.

As a result the emotional throughline of the finale doesn't quite connect as well as it could, and audiences may feel slightly worn down by the grimmer tenor of that final 45-50 minutes.

These issues aside, here's what Spielberg and his team totally got right...