In New York City during the late 1950s, two groups of people are feuding with each other. There are the Jets, who are white, and the Sharks, who are Puerto Rican.

After the two sides get out of hand, the law enforcement show up. They warn them to stop fighting, or else they will be given consequences.

Meanwhile, there is a teenage boy named Tony, who is on parole. He is staying with this old lady called Valentina, in her store.

His friends beg him to go to the high school dance. But he must decline the offer since he is forbidden to go to such events while on parole.

Simultaneously, there is this Hispanic teenage girl named Maria, who lives on the West Side with her brother, Bernardo, and his girlfriend, Anita. They are getting ready for the dance. Bernardo’s friend, Chino, agrees to be Maria’s date.

Once at the event, the students dance and have fun. However, chaos erupts shortly after. Their principal tells them to stop fighting and calm down.

Regardless of his restriction, Tony sneaks out to the dance and hides under the steps of the gym. Maria runs into him and they secretly dance together. From that point on, they fall in love. Tony even sings a song about Maria and visits her outside of her apartment.

At the same time, the Jets and Sharks continue to feud. But when Tony and Maria go on a secret date, Maria makes him promise that this fight will end. Tony agrees.

But the Jets steal a gun from Tony’s friend, Riff. This causes the tension between both sides to increase.

At some point, the Jets and the Sharks prepare for a fight that evening. Meanwhile, Tony and Maria plan to meet for another date.

Later, the Jets are in custody. When the cop steps out, the group mocks one of their kind for playing by the rules.

While at work, Maria gets all dreamy about Tony and expresses it in the song, “I Feel Pretty.” Unfortunately, she discovers that Tony murdered Bernardo.

However, that doesn’t stop her from loving Tony. Yes, she gets angry at him. But they remain infatuated with each other.

Anita is shocked that Maria is in love with a boy who killed her brother. But she eventually accepts it.

Yet stakes are rising—especially now that Tony committed murder. What will that lead to?

As I watched this movie, I remembered that it was heavily based off Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. The structure is even similar.

The opening fight between the Sharks and the Jets, the law enforcement admonishing them to stop, the star-crossed romance between Tony and Maria, and many other elements mirror Romeo & Juliet. Of course, changes are made.

The musical numbers were fun and sometimes beautiful. I especially admired the dancing. The ladies were superb at it.

The high school dance was also fun to watch. But there were some flaws in this film.

One is how the Jets all looked too similar. I had trouble telling them apart, or when Tony was with them. They all had short dark hair and fair skin.

When it comes to casting characters or extras, unless it’s important to the story for the characters to look alike, the crew should consider distinguishing them.

Yes, it takes place in the 1950s, when hair barely differentiated on guys. But there could have been blonde guys, redheads, plump men, and any other feature to make each one of them look different.

In addition, I felt that parts of it were outdated and kind of offensive. They include when the Hispanics were scolded for speaking Spanish and told to speak English, and even the racial slur for a Latino. I am shocked that that was allowed in the film.

Another issue, which is more minor, is the lack of clarity of Anita’s relationship to Maria. I had thought she was her mother until Maria called her by her first name. Then I had assumed that she was her aunt or nanny that cared for her.

Otherwise, this was an exciting watch. Maria and Tony had a very sweet relationship. I actually enjoyed listening to the characters speak Spanish since it helped me learn some words in that language.

Although the movie is around two and a half hours long, it breezes by thanks to the fast pacing, musical numbers, and dancing. I also admired the premise, conflict, levels, and picture quality. It looked a lot like it was filmed during the mid-20^th century, even though it was actually shot in 2019.

That made Rachel Zegler, who portrayed Maria, the same age as her. Rachel Zegler was 18 when playing Maria, who is also that age, and even says it. Not only does that add authenticity to a girl in her late teens, but Rachel Zegler is also Hispanic herself.

This adaptation of West Side Story was a remake of the same tale told in film in the 1960s. And the actress who depicted Maria in that one, Natalie Wood, wasn’t the same race. During the past few years, it has become a common standard to only allow actors of the same race as the characters to play them. For instance, a Korean character is likely to be portrayed exclusively by a Korean actor.

Overall, I liked West Side Story. It was a good movie with memorable songs, romance, and suspense.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.