The First Trailer For Spielberg's West Side Story Remake Is Missing Something

Teenagers Tony and Maria, despite having affiliations with rival street gangs, the Jets and Sharks, fall in love in 1950s New York City.

I think this trailer looked great. The set production, the camera shots and the limited dances we got definitly have me convinced that this will be, at the very least, a technically sound movie. I wish we got a little more singing, but I guess they are saving that load for the second trailer. I like how Zegler is seemingly being framed as the true lead of this movie, but more on that in a second. 

I've talked about this plenty of times, but this movie had a bit of an uphill battle from the start. West Side Story is one of the most revered and iconic musicals ever made, and I think if any director not named Spielberg even tried to remake it, there would have been an uproar. So every single frame of this movie is being held in comparison with a movie that was universal loved. You could make a really solid retelling of the story, but if it isn't up to the standard of the original, people are going to be bummed. Fair or not, that is a tough hurdle. 

Also, this movie wrapped up production in October of 2019 and in June of 2020, Ansel Elgort was accused of sexually assault. He denied it, and has basically been underground for a year. You can kind of see that, despite Elgort playing the co-lead of the movie, the trailer made a point of not featuring him as heavy as his wholesome and beloved co-star, Rachel Zegler. 

I've sang her praises before, but it's worth repeating that she is a very talented singer and has built up a very likable social media presence. 

The biggest thing for me with this movie is this: You HAVE to nail Gee Officer Krupke!

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