Awesome / West Side Story (2021)

For the musical, see here.

For the 1961 film, see here.

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• In this version, the Sharks are reimagined as a Vigilante Militia who defend their community from the bigoted Jets. When the Jets begin to vandalize a Puerto Rican flag mural, the Sharks spring into action to chase them away and are cheered as heroes by their neighbors.
  • Afterwards, Officer Krupke scolds the Sharks not because he's racist, but because they're trying to take the law into their own hands rather than calling the cops like good citizens. It's a welcome change for a character who's usually just portrayed as a jerk and serves as a reminder that just because the Jets are bigoted punks, it doesn't mean the Sharks' actions are automatically right.
  • As the Sharks leave, Bernardo begins singing "La Borinqueña," the national anthem of Puerto Rico, and is soon joined by the rest of the gang. Lt. Schrank tells them all to stop, and they start singing louder in defiance.
• At the dance, Officer Krupke rightly calls out both gangs for continuing to stir up trouble and neglecting their dates:
  Krupke: What's the matter with you guys? Pretty girls wantin’ a dance, 'n all yiz can think of is to beat up on each other?!
• The "Mambo" section of the dance is absolutely gorgeous to watch, especially how it begins with Anita calling out to the band leader.
  Anita: ¡Oye, Javi! ¡Ponle fuego, vamos! ^* Hey Javier! Set it on fire, come on!
• The morning after the dance, María stands up for herself when Bernardo tries to tell her she can't see Tony, not to mention rightfully saying his reaction to finding them was deeply embarrassing and Tony didn't do anything to deserve Bernardo's poor treatment.
  Bernardo: ¡Te prohíbo ver a ese estúpido Polack! ^* I forbid you to see that stupid Polack!
  María: Maybe Chino and your friends fall down at your feet and maybe you scare the Americanos when you make fists and angry faces, pero yo no estoy interesada ni en boxeo ni en peleas. ¡Y tú no eres mi jefe! ^* but I'm not interested in boxing or fighting. And you are not my boss! And I'm not interested in what you have to say.
  • In the same scene, Anita also gives Bernardo a proper piece of her mind for thinking everything is about him.
    Bernardo: This is about family. Tú tienes que respe– ^* You have to respect-
    Anita: Ah, ¿y ahora yo no soy parte de la familia? ¿Y por qué? ¿¡Porque soy prieta!? ^* Oh, and now I'm not part of the family? And why is that? Because I'm dark!?
  • Anita also gives Bernardo a reality check when he expresses his desire for them to move back to Puerto Rico so she can start making babies for him:
    Anita: You want to know where my home is? It's where I pay rent. Right here, where I work my fingers raw mending pants and hemming neckties so that I can earn enough money to pay other girls to sew for me so that someday I can rent a shop of my own in this great big beautiful Nueva York! (Bernardo tries kissing her and she brushes him off) Ah. And if you think that I'm going back home to Puerto Rico with six kids that I put to bed hungry every night, amor de mi vida,^* love of my life, you're dreaming!
• During "America," Bernardo throws a few practice punches with Quique. Then Anita walks up and throws a punch, causing Quique to wince in pain afterwards.
• In "Cool," we get to see Tony partake in some of the Jets' famously flashy choreography as he attempts to keep the gun away from Riff. While he ultimately fails, he puts in a noble effort.
  • Incidentally, "Cool" was the first scene to be filmed.
• Unlike the musical and 1961 film, the audience actually gets to see Tony in action and it's clear why he was such a feared and respected gang member when he was with the Jets. After Bernardo, a rising boxer in this film, pushes him too far by rejecting his attempts to reconcile and goading him into a fight by repeatedly punching him, Tony finally loses his cool and begins to beat Bernardo into a pulp, only stopping because he doesn't want to do to Bernardo what he did to a past rival gang member.
• Likewise, Anybodys claims to fight as well as the Jets, but this is an Informed Ability in the stage version and 1961 film. In this film, Anybodys fights, punches, and kicks half the cops in the precinct and manages to get away, as he's still roaming around several hours later despite assaulting the police.
  • Also, his retort when he gets misgendered one too many times by A-Rab at the police station.
    "I said I ain't no goddamned girl, ya shriveldick dago pansy!"
• Justin Peck's choreography pays beautiful homage to Jerome Robbins's original work by taking from its jazz/classical ballet/modern dance style whilst also being delightfully original.
• Although they ultimately overpower her, Anita puts up one hell of a fight against the Jets during the attempted rape scene.
  • In addition, Graziella, Velma, and Tessa put up a valiant effort to defend Anita once the boys' harassment becomes sexual.
• Valentina's "The Reason You Suck" Speech to the Jets after Anita's Attempted Rape is cathartic, especially if one considers that Rita Moreno is a rape survivor herself.^* While filming the same scene in the original film, she became so triggered that she had a panic attack, at which point the Jet actors broke character and helped her calm down. Her dressing-down of the Jets is so devastatingly on-point that they are shamed into disbanding.
  Valentina: I know you. I know all of your names. Since you was born, I watched you grow up. You have grown up into rapists. You dishonor yourselves. You dishonor your dead!

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