"It’s an often breathtaking staging of an all-time classic"
The first reactions to the new 'West Side Story' film directed by Steven Spielberg and safe to say, moviegoers are loving it.
'West Side Story' premiered at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater in New York City last night.
Those lucky enough to attend praised Spielberg's direction and touted newcomer Rachel Zegler as a star in the making.
The film has been called "bold and stirring" as well as "phenomenal."
Quite a few deemed it "top tier Spielberg" and said they were wrong to be "skeptical."
The choreography, cinematography and production design also got rave reviews, with some even saying the new 'West Side Story' is better than the 1961 multi-Oscar-winning original.
Rachel Zegler plays Maria in the new film, whose romance with Ansel Elgort's Tony seems impossible as they are connected to rival local gangs, the Sharks and the Jets.
Ariana DeBose as Anita, David Alvarez as Bernardo and Mike Faist as Riff also received praise for their performances.
Rita Moreno, who starred in the 1961 movie, appears in the remake in a new role.
Here are some of the Twitter reactions to the movie.
'West Side Story' arrives in cinemas on December 10th.