Tony is written being an ex-convict. For what purpose? Is it to make a statement that incarceration is beneficial? The new Tony says that his experiences in jail make him want to improve his life. In the original, he has a job and wants to grow up and out of the gang life.
In the original, Maria has recently arrived in New York which sets the stage (pardon the pun) for "America" and "I Feel Pretty." In this new film, she's been in the city for years and she expresses a desire to go to college. Too much and unnecessary information, in my opinion.
Chino, who is pretty much undefined in the original, is given a backstory that he is going to night school studying accounting and adding machine repair. It's just clutter and the attempt to flesh out the character is a distraction. I found this quote in the New Yorker's review: "But nothing comes of these new practical emphases; the characters have no richer inner lives, cultural substance, or range of experience than they do in the first film." I concur with this view.
The scene where Tony and Maria "marry" is ridiculously re-concieved to take place at the Cloisters (as if these two people would actually go there!) instead of the bridal shop where Maria works in the original. Trading the graceful irony of the bridal shop with the fake solemnity of the Cloisters is overly ingenuous and artless.
The one addition I loved was Rita Moreno's character. Any film with her in it is enhanced. Unfortunately, she cannot single-handedly save this overly-worked rendition.
Look, these are just my opinions of course. But audiences haven't turned out for the film. This is not because of the pandemic as other films, like Spiderman, have delivered solid box office numbers.
My fundamental question is why did Steven Spielberg want to make this film? Why re-make a classic? In truth, everyone involved in this picture is a superior artist and/or craftsperson. The skills and talents are visible in every frame of the film. For me, it's just a disappointment.
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