Dune vs. West Side Story: A Battle of Remakes

It’s rare to see one reboot in the Best Picture race, let alone two. Or four. For a cherry on top, one of these is a sci-fi flick. For this post though, we’re only going to focus on two of them.

Neither the book nor the 1984 film version hit my radar other than shelving the double box set every few months at Blockbuster back in the day. When sitting down to watch this, I came in with a blank slate.

I was afraid watching two other movies before Dune might be too much to give the film a fair chance. But it kept my attention the whole way through. I was even angry when the movie ended on a cliffhanger. I hadn’t realized until the opening credits when I read Part One.

Dune’s casting was superb. I am not a huge Chamalet fan, but I can’t think of anyone better suited. Tom Holland can’t play every hero in waiting that comes along. And I think his style wouldn’t have worked as well. Oscar Issac and Jason Momoa’s screen time was sadly too short for me. Both characters were interesting, and I wanted to know more about them. Rebecca Ferguson is also one of my favorites, and she’s proven she can play the mother wolf role beautifully. If you haven’t watched The White Queen, highly recommend.

I feel like Dune’s Best Picture nomination was a way to diversify the movies in the category. While Dune is a great sci-fi movie. I won’t be surprised if it snags the visual effects award; I don’t think this film has a snowball’s chance of winning the best picture.

This is also true of Speilberg’s West Side Story. Strange thing to type since the Academy has a well-documented love affair with musicals. The 1961 version took most of the big categories at the 1962 Oscars. Speilberg’s version doesn’t have enough to get it to the finish line.

This update should have packed a punch. Diversity trumped star power, the sets were felt more vibrant, the costuming was on point. Ariana DeBose’s nomination is well deserved. She’s got tough competition in the Supporting Actress category, but her performance stands well matched against the other ladies.

And yet, it just seemed to fall flat.

Perhaps because it’s a story too familiar? Dressing up Romeo and Juliet in New York City clothes once worked, but rehashing might have been too much. Although, reboots wouldn’t be a thing if that were the case.

Chemistry issues plagued the movie. To point a finger, this was apparent in the scenes with Ansel Elgort. And I am not just talking between him and Zelger. But to be clear, there was little to no chemistry there. Zelger had to carry that relationship the whole way. I didn’t believe he was besties with Mike Faist’s Riff either. Interestingly, his only believable relationship in the film is between him and Rita Moreno’s Valentina.

Also, I don’t think musicals are Speilberg’s metier. Sure he has to do different things, but hopefully, this is a one-and-done.