I actually find Steven Spielberg became a better, more refined, filmmaker as he aged into his 60s. The craft and masterful storytelling between 1998 and 2006 ("Saving Private Ryan," "Munich," "Minority Report," "Lincoln," "AI," "Catch Me If You Can," and "War of the Worlds") at times exceeded his, mostly, brilliant work from the '70s and '80s.
However, something changed post-2005 as he switched his style into more talky, slow-burning dramas ("Lincoln," “The Post,” "Bridge of Spies" “War Horse”). Spielberg seemed to be going for old-fashioned Hollywood craftsmanship. I like to think of this as the Victor Fleming/Howard Hawks phase of his career, both his cinematic idols.
Now at 71-years of age, Spielberg will release the Tony Kushner-penned remake of the classic musical “West Side Story.” Oh, boy. What a risk. However, judging by the footage we’ve seen so far of it, Spielberg looks re-energized. Revitalized. Something has sprung back up inside him. Is his cinematic mojo back?
I don’t think I’ve spoken to anyone who hasn’t been impressed with the “West Side Story” trailer. On-paper, it sounds like a terrible idea, but watching some of these sneak peeks has made me more comfortable with the idea that Spielberg may have just hit a homerun here.
“West Side Story” will be released in theatres on December 10th, 2021.