This was a glorious and total success from the opening shot to the final one and totally gripping all the way - there was never a moment when intense focus faded or I felt that a scene was unnecessarily protracted.
The opening scene - almost a masterclass in vividly communicative cinematography - very cleverly and convincingly established the social context and situation of the story which, in both traditional stage version (I gather that a production by Ivo van Hove is quite significantly different but as | have not seen it, I cannot really compare) and the film version never really did; in fact, tbh, I am not sure if it is even in the script anyway - but by showing the areas where the Sharks and the Jets lived being razed, changed and, finally, gentrified, the film made the story and the characters much richer. And this was not done in a heavy-handed and over-emphatic manner to be woke/socially significant etc etc - it was completely natural and so all the more powerful and convincing.
In a number of reviews, comments were made about the ‘hyper-realistic’ look of the film - and this I know is a modern characteristic of many films today, particularly if in an historical big-city setting e.g. Victorian London or Paris (like with Sherlock Holes or Lupin etc) where, thanks to the CGI and SFX there is an often glaring vividness/brightness/clarity - and cleanliness - in what we see on the screen. But although there was a very slight degree of this, it made everything more vivid but not over-emphatic. Perhaps another example of a master of cinema using a new technique in a way that does not draw attention to that technique. I’m also intrigued as to exactly what it is that causes the effect; is it just the CGI element or do camera lenses and lighting play a part as well?
The opening scene also demonstrated one of the other major advances in this film version - the movements - dance and other - of the gangs came across as far more organic and, in a way, more realistic than they often do. i do not know the original choreography well enough to know to what extent it was changed but by however much is was 100% successful. I always found it a dramatic flaw that the tough street gangs would suddenly break into balletic poses and moves and these always seemed awkward and at odds with the mood established by the music and the story. Obviously it is a musical and I know and love musicals and so have no intrinsic problem with a drama that includes dance but I always felt those thoughts expressed above with the original. Here, no such problem. The dance and movement was a seamless and convincing expression of the drama.
The setting in a social context was also done particularly well in very small ways. Again in the opening sequence where one of the gangs stops to let a group of African-Americans cross in front of them and one could sense the tension and resentment there, particularly as far as the gang was concerned. It was quickly and subtly done but very effective.
The dance at the gym where Tony and Maria first met was, again, superbly staged - it started with an almost unbroken tracking shot through and around the floor that was a masterclass in how to pull the audience into the story and to advance it. And I did not think that the first eye-contact and meeting between Tony/Romeo and Maris/Juliet could be bettered by the way it was done in Luhrman’s film - but here if not better it was certainly the equal of that gorgeous aquarium scene.
Having the gangs of the right age was a great help and many had a hard edge that made the drama more compelling -particularly the grippingly edgy and intense Mike Faist as Riff. The new young cast members were superb and while Elgort has been criticised for blandness - well, maybe a little but it worked - and his singing ability is most impressive.
The script by Kushner played a large part in deepening the story although I do not know how extensively the original was written - quite a lot I sense at the start and of course adding a back story of Tony being out on parole, which made his reluctance to participate and willingness to fall for someone from ‘the other side’ that much more plausible. And creating the part of Valentina was a major plus - and not just because it brought back the original film Maria, Rita Moreno (late 80’s? I don’t think so!!) - and I loved the sweet dialogue between her character and the film’s Anita towards the end -a marvellous combination of drama and meta-theatre.
A wonderful achievement. Oscars, its now up to you!