MovieChat Forums > West Side Story (2021) Discussion > Boycott this remake

Boycott this remake

posted 6 years ago by LAcdisneyprincess (97)
11 replies | jump to latest

In an age of progressive musical theatre in the making as Hamilton, why on earth would they step backwards to this disrespectful piece as WSS??

[–] mplo (2356) 6 years ago

No matter which way one looks at it, re-makes of older classic films generally turn out to be really awful. In any event, I can't see a re-boot of West Side Story being any exception to that.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Indeed. The recent broadway version of "An American in Paris" was a soulless disappointment, too heavy with contemporary sensibilities.

[–] mplo (2356) 6 years ago

Sorry to hear that the recent Broadway revival of "An American in Paris" was such a big disappointment, LivingMCM. The desire to bring older Broadway stage musicals and classic films up to date is not necessarily a good thing.

I have a feeling that the upcoming re-boot of the 1961 film version of "West Side Story" will also be way too heavy with contemporary sensibilities. You've made a good point, LivingMCM. Thank you.

[–] modica (4169) 5 years ago

It will sound like a hip hop version of West Side Story. Leonard Bernstein will be rolling in his grave when this crap comes out.

[–] HarlemEagle42 (17745) 5 years ago

Nostalgia = money.

[–] mplo (2356) 5 years ago

Hollywood is playing on many people's nostalgia for older classic films, and is doing remakes and reboots of them. Why can't they just have them restored to their former glory and re-release them, nation-wide, in both the independent and the mainstream movie theaters? It beats me! That, imho, would be the best way for them to do that.

[–] StrongRex (1319) 5 years ago

mplo, it's especially bad with how Disney is running their business now. Did you see how many live-action remakes of animated classics are coming out this year alone?

[–] mplo (2356) 5 years ago

Oh, boy! I sure did! Dumbo, Lion King, Aladdin. This is absolutely crazy! I've never seen Aladdin at all, but I have seen both the original Dumbo and the original Lion King, which I enjoyed a great deal. I saw both the online trailers of the upcoming remakes of Dumbo and Lion King, as well as a bad review of the Dumbo re-make--and was not the least bit excited, optimistic, or impressed. I will not go to see any of them.

[–] StrongRex (1319) 5 years ago

Okay, first of all, if you haven't seen Aladdin, make it right and check it out immediately - it is one of Disney's best! I consider it my second favorite Disney movie (Lion King being my first). Secondly, that's not the end of what they're putting out this year - they are actually releasing a Lady and the Tramp live action remake this November. And there's many more Disney live action remakes to come after 2019.

[–] mplo (2356) 5 years ago

I don't have a DVD or Blu-Ray player, so I don't see films on DVD. I make it a point not to buy either a DVD player or a Blu-Ray DVD player, because good, decent ones can be prohibitively expensive, plus I prefer going to the movie theatres to see movies.

My favorite Disney movies are: Pinocchio, Lady and the Tramp, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, Lion King, Dumbo (which is kind of sad.), Old Yeller, and Davy Crockett.

I'm not going to see the live Lady and the Tramp re-make, either. Ugh! Hollywood really is falling rather fast down that rabbit hole, if it hasn't already.

[–] StrongRex (1319) 5 years ago

DVDs, Blu-Rays and their players have gotten relatively cheaper over the years, and you can find good DVDs for less than $20, especially if you look online. But if you'd rather not get a DVD player and/or you still have a VCR, you can see if you can buy Aladdin on VHS from eBay. I imagine that has to be pretty cheap too (I think we might even still have it on VHS at my mom's house). Or check it out from the library if you can (actually, you could probably check it out on DVD from the library and just watch it on one of their computers with headphones on). Any way you can see it as possible.

My top 10 favorite Disney movies are:

1. The Lion King
2. Aladdin
3. Bambi
4. Beauty and the Beast
5. Sleeping Beauty
6. The Little Mermaid
7. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
8. Mulan
9. Lady and the Tramp
10. The Emperor's New Groove

Old Yeller is definitely in my top ten list of favorite movies in general (and you know what is number one in that list! ;-)) I didn't use to like Pinocchio, but I respected it as a Disney classic, but over recent years I've come to appreciate it a lot more. I just watched it for the first time in years last weekend.

I totally agree with you about that rabbit hole, especially for Disney. They have not run out of ideas, and it's not that they can't afford to take risks. They just want to resort to cash grabs that will get them millions more dollars that they don't need with the lowest effort possible.