So, sitting in one of Lincoln Center's theaters, I became tangibly aware of how these impoverished New Yorkers were fighting each other, when the real threat to their neighborhood were wealthy developers who'd push them out, no matter who wins the rumble. So back to that construction site: A shrewd cutaway to a 'coming soon' billboard reveals that this lot of dirt will give rise to Lincoln Center of the Performing Arts, where - cleverly enough - the film was screened for critics. Following in the tradition of theater, Spielberg and Kushner understood that it's not enough to bring back the book and the songs with a shiny new cast (even if it is one that's actually cast with Latinx talent in the roles of Puerto Ricans!) This revival was an opportunity to reimagine a classic story in a way that honors what came before but also gives audiences a fresh insight. It's not that there was anything wrong with the 1961 version or the 1957 stage musical on which it's based.

And this is just the first of many magnificent innovations in a truly inspired remake. With a framing of gentrification, helmer Spielberg and heralded screenwriter Tony Kushner give this period drama another layer of tragedy that is achingly timeless. But a simple shot of architecture suggests how futile their fight will be. From the debris emerges the Jets, a scrappy - but handsome - gang of white boys who will rumble with the equally dashing Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks, over this turf. The familiar whistle of the overture plays across a quiet construction site, where rubble and ruins give clues to the apartment buildings that once stood there. From the very start of Steven Spielberg's West Side Story, this superb filmmaker distinguishes his spectacular remake from its classic predecessor, and he does it with dirt.

I got 2 phones one for the bitches