Steven Spielberg’s first musical is a dazzling and emotional affair, with West Side Story circa 2021 given a visual update yet still relevant in its depiction of those who dare to love in a world consumed with hatred.

You would think that after decades of filmmaking that Steven Spielberg wouldn’t have many “firsts” on his list, yet that is exactly what West Side Story represents. Based on the popular Broadway musical that was first adapted to the big screen in 1961, West Side Story offers Spielberg the chance to bring his filmmaking talent to the musical genre, which he does with a dazzling display of image and sound that is up there in craft with his sci-fi epics.

With the excellent Janusz Kaminski (Warhorse) as cinematographer, what is first evident is the visual strength that West Side Story employs. From the grey toned slums of Manhattan’s West Side circa 1957 to the vibrant rendition of “America” in the midday streets of New York City, West Side Story pop with style and colour.

The films story and performance follow suit with this Romeo and Juliet inspired tale of love and hate in pre-civil rights America one that still holds a powerful relevance today. Set in 1957, a turf war between white American gang The Jets and Puerto Rican gang The Sharks leads to a winner takes all rumble. Adding more fuel to the inter-racial fire is a love story between reformed criminal and former Jet, Tony (Ansel Elgort), and Maria (newcomer Rachel Zegler) who is the sister of Sharks leader Bernardo (David Alvarez.)

Elgort and Zegler have excellent chemistry, providing their love story with depth and emotion palpable and electric. Iconic songs “Maria” and “Tonight” are delivered with heart and passion by the pair whose vocal delivery matches their intense connection.

Elgort, who had made a name for himself in Fault in Our Stars and Baby Driver, delivers a turn that exemplifies his talent as a song and dance man that harkens back to the multi-talented leading men of the ‘50s. Zegler in turn makes her mark in impressive fashion as the innocent and fiercely independent Maria, hitting those notes while stealing hearts. Excellent too is Ariana DeBose as the fiery Anita, burning up the screen in musical sequences and dramatic moments that are equally powerful.

The choreography by Justin Peck is a dazzling display of movement and rhythm, paying homage to the iconic choreography of the 1961 original by Jerome Robbins while adding new elements that gives Spielberg’s version of this classic musical a modern edge.

Scripted by Tony Kushner (Lincoln), West Side Story successfully captures the zeitgeist of an America, if not a western world, that continues to struggle with finding common ground during a time of deep-rooted divisions. It also gives tribute to those who dare to love within a world succumbed to hatred. West Side Story is a film of heart and soul and song and dance, a glorious throwback made for modern times, and one of Spielberg’s best.