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The Great Musical War of 2021 has come to an end With the late-breaking "Cyrano" being the last extension of this trend

The famed wordsmith's tale of forbidden love Has been told so many times before that it is as worn as an old glove

Between José Ferrer, Gérard Depardieu and Kevin Kline on the stage and the screen Many have given performances of the character that are oh so fine

Now it is time for Peter Dinklage of "Game of Thrones" fame to take on the role And give it all, with both heart and soul

You may wonder why I am speaking in rhyme To that, I say it is to keep my mind as sharp as a dime

Because after writing countless reviews for films both small and big My brain has become brittle and could snap like a twig

But I also speak in rhyme as a way to honor good Cyrano Who can mold words to his liking as a baker does with dough

So this is a fair warning to all readers who oppose rhymes As you will want to lock me up for my crimes

Now with that out of the way, let's get on with the review For a film that has assembled quite the cast and crew

Our story begins in the time of old When men were told to be soldiers and bold

Cyrano is a man full of charm and wits Whose only downfall is that he stands as tall as a man when he sits

His lack of stature is what keeps him away from his love, Roxanne Who's skin and voice is as soft as a dove

Much to Cyrano's dismay, Roxanne loves another His name is Christian, Cyrano's new army brother

Christian loves Roxanne as well but hasn't got a tongue As the words he speaks have the same effect as potent dung

So Cyrano comes up with a plan so that he will act as Christian's voice Writing letters to Roxanne, making her rejoice, even if it isn't by choice

However, this love triangle gets complicated as time goes on As the snooty Count de Guiche forces Roxanne's hand in marriage as part of a con

Christian and Cyrano must tell Roxanne the truth of their ruse Or her forced marriage to the Count will forever give her the blues

Directing this film adaptation of "Cyrano" is Joe Wright Whose past works of "Pride & Prejudice" and "Atonement" are an absolute delight

Lately, he's been in a bit of a rough patch As "Pan" and "The Woman in the Window" failed to hatch

No matter, here is where Wright once again flexes his skill With imagery captured with the camera with such thrill

Scenes play out in extended takes lasting minutes at a time Allowing for the sets, costumes, and music to be sublime

"Someone to Say" is my favorite tune of the soundtrack to exist As it now has a permanent spot in my Spotify playlist

The technicals and craftsmanship is so wonderful And so is the cast, made up of actors quite colorful

Dinklage's charm brings a certain panache And he should have dived into the Oscar race with a splash

His height may limit his character on the screen But it's never stopped him personally from chewing the scene

And while Haley Bennett as Roxanne may not be up to his level Their chemistry often makes scenes quite the revel

Kelvin Harrison Jr. As Christian brings might As he aptly plays the knight that cannot write

But surprisingly, it is good Ben Mendelsohn who steals the show With his face caked in posh makeup, white as snow

Of the musicals that came out this past year "Cyrano" places third in the upper-tier

What films are ahead of it you request?

It's "West Side Story" and "Annette" of course, whose set pieces are the best

But even in third place, "Cyrano" is a treat So go out, buy a ticket, and save your seat

I'll be on my way now, making haste to my next story When it comes to picking my next film, I can do any category

And if you thought this poem came to no amount My only defense is to say that it is why I studied the art of the account.

Mahershala Ali has never been the lead in a motion picture. I'll give you some time to open up his IMDb page and fact-check me on that one.

Yes, I am correct in saying that two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali ("Moonlight" & "Green Book") has never had a leading role in a film. Granted, he's led a television show with the third season of "True Detective" and will be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the vampire hunter, Blade. But up until "Swan Song," Ali has always been relegated to a supporting role.

It's an unfortunate fact that an actor of Ali's caliber has had to wait as long as he has to get the star treatment. And it's a coincidence that Lupita Nyong'o, also an Academy Award winner ("12 Years a Slave"), is opening her new film, "The 355," at the same time as Swan Song. Nyong'o's role in the female-led spy thriller is only her sixth in-person role since her 2013 Oscar win, with only two of those being lead roles (2019's "Us" & "Little Monsters").

It speaks to a larger, more systematic problem that these actors of color are not getting the leading roles they deserve. How many great performances and awards do these actors need to accumulate before they can get roles that match their talent? But that conservation is beyond this review's scope and is best handled by people more qualified. So, let's focus back on the topic at hand, which is "Swan Song."

"Swan Song" makes Ali's first lead role a memorable one, as we get two of him for the price of one. How is this possible you ask? Well, human cloning has become a reality in the near future. For Cameron Turner (Ali), this presents an existential dilemma. He's dying of a terminal illness, which he hasn't told to his wife (Naomie Harris), or his 8-year-old son. This cowardice grants him an incredibly rare opportunity provided by Dr. Scott (Glenn Close).

The good doctor offers Cameron the opportunity to clone himself, sparing his family from the pain of losing a loved one. The clone will have all of Cameron's memories and behaviors, and be completely indistinguishable. Before the real Cameron dies, the clone will take his place and live out his life as if nothing ever happened. Only the real Cameron will know the truth.

But can a clone - even the most perfect one imaginable - seamlessly take the place of a human being? Marking his feature directorial debut after winning the 2016 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short, Benjamin Cleary looks to tackle that question. But he doesn't address it as a sort of Turing Test where the stakes revolve around the family finding out the truth. Instead, Cleary goes around that simple gimmick and looks at both the moral and ethical stances on the issue.

The question isn't if the clone can do what it's supposed to do, but if it should. Is Cameron making the right decision by lying to his family to protect them? Is leaving his wife and son with a clone more of a betrayal than leaving them altogether? These are the questions that Cleary doesn't decide for the viewer. Rather, he supplies you with the tools to come to your conclusion.

It's a slow burn with a lot going on, even if not a lot happens on screen. That's because all of the action takes place within your head as Cleary puts you into Cameron's shoes. You're constantly comparing his actions to the ones you think you would make. The best films bury themselves in your head while watching. You wrestle with them in the moment and continue to interact with them long after they're over.

And with the help of production designer Annie Beachamp, Cleary has created a near-future world that is perfectly believable. The production design may be the reason why Apple bought the film, as many of the sets share the same clean and sleek design that the tech giant uses for its storefronts.

The futuristic technology within the film, such as holographic displays and virtual reality that doesn't require a headset, is so seamlessly blended in that you're never aware this technology doesn't exist yet. Other recent films such as "Gemini Man" have treated human cloning as the peak of human invention. But in "Swan Song," it's just a part of life that has naturally sprung from technological progress.

Mahershala Ali has never turned in a bad performance. At worst, he's done fair work in poor films ("Alita: Battle Angel" & "Free State of Jones"). Here, Cleary serves him well. He's incredibly compelling in his dual roles, pulling off the complex feat of differentiating the two Cameron's just enough so that we can tell the difference, but also believe why the other characters can't.

Awkwafina plays a dying patient who's already completed the cloning process. Lulu Wang's "The Farewell" proved that Awkwafina can dig deeper than just lowbrow comedy, and this is a reminder of that fact. She shares some wonderful scenes with Ali, as both of their characters come to terms with the decision that they have made.

The term "swan song" refers to the final performance of a public figure, such as an athlete or performer. As a title, it's a fitting term that encapsulates so much of what the film is about. Luckily, the term doesn't describe any of the talent associated with the film, as this is only the beginning of Benjamin Cleary's promising career, and of this new phase of Mahershala Ali where his talent is front and center.

Leave it to Steven Spielberg to make his first outing into the musical genre one that completely crushes the competition.

Like The Mad Titan Thanos, Spielberg has seemingly made it his mission to collect the stones of nearly every genre known to cinema. Throughout his nearly fifty-year feature film career, he's already conquered monster movies ("Jaws"), science-fiction ("E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial"), adventure ("Indiana Jones"), war ("Saving Private Ryan"), and biopics ("Schindler's List" & "Lincoln").

But before he takes on the Avengers-level threat of Netflix and other streaming services in the fight for the theatrical experience, Spielberg needs to claim the last stone that has eluded him: musicals. And after all these years (including a worldwide pandemic), The King of Entertainment can finally stake his claim with his remake of "West Side Story."

Spielberg and screenwriter Tony Kushner have made it clear that this "West Side Story" is not a remake of the 1961 film, which won ten Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture. Rather, this is a new adaptation of the 1957 stage musical.

Many might be confused as to why Spielberg felt the need to readapt such a timeless piece of entertainment, especially with the 1961 film being heralded as one of the great screen musicals. The answer to that argument can be broken down into three parts.

First, Spielberg may be humble, but like all great directors, he has a bit of hubris and isn't afraid to remake sacred material, as he's already done with 2005's "War of the Worlds." Second, Spielberg has cited the musical as a foundational piece of his childhood, so much so that it was one of his key inspirations for becoming a director. And third, while the 1961 version may be a monumental feat, it is far from perfect. Arthur Laurents, who wrote the original Broadway production's book, spoke to the New York Times in 2008 about his feelings towards the film version, which he thought was very flawed due to "bogus accents, bogus dialect, bogus costumes." Laurents' argument against the costumes may be puzzling, but he's right on target with how the film whitewashed much of the characters.

Spielberg's "West Side Story" looks to right the wrongs of the past, as nearly all of his Puerto Rican characters are played by Puerto Rican or Hispanic performers. And to do this, Spielberg hasn't committed the sin of nearly every modern musical adaptation where big movie stars are cast instead of the performers who brought the characters to life on the stage. Apart from Ansel Elgort (who, while still being the film's wet blanket, is not as bad as one would expect), all of the cast members come from some sort of theater background.

Ariana DeBose, who played a featured part in "Hamilton" both off and on Broadway, takes over the role of Anita with a fiery passion. Playing her overprotective partner Bernardo is David Alvarez, one of the original Billys in "Billy Elliot." Mike Faist, who originated the role of Connor Murphy in "Dear Evan Hansen," harnesses a special jittery vulnerability as Riff.

And then emerging as the star of this troupe is newcomer Rachel Zegler as María. The world may have already gotten a glimpse of Zegler's singing talent through her YouTube channel, but this is a true showcase of what she has to offer. Since production wrapped in September 2019, Spielberg has claimed Zegler as the greatest María he's witnessed. At the time, it sounded like the usual praise a director would heap on his own film. But now that the court of public opinion gets their say, it seems he was telling the truth.

With so many stars-in-the-making, Spielberg is able to harmonize the past and the present, making the remake feel like a Golden Age musical made with modern craftsmanship. Spielberg and his longtime cinematographer Janusz Kaminski keep the same desaturated, high-contrast look that they have maintained for nearly three decades. The camera swoons and cranes in extended takes, capturing the incredibly choreographed dance numbers conceived by famed ballet dancer and director Justin Peck. The "America" (which has been taken down to the streets instead of the rooftop) and "I Feel Pretty" set-pieces contain some of Spielberg's greatest directorial work, with Leonard Bernstein's music and Stephen Sondheim's lyrics proving once again why they have inspired so many.

But all the technicals and performances mean nothing if the story doesn't match their excellence. Thankfully, screenwriter Tony Kushner has taken the original material and given it a new life. For the most part, this is still the same Romeo and Juliet story of star-crossed lovers caught in a war between rival gangs. But then, every once in a while, something unexpected will happen, taking things in a different direction.

The narrative about the immigrant experience has been made more profound, with the Spanish dialogue - accounting for nearly one-third of the total spoken lines - going unsubtitled in a move that Spielberg and Kushner described as an effort to respect the language. And the character of Doc has been reimagined as Valentina, allowing Rita Moreno (the 1961 Anita) to ground the film with a heartbreaking final number. All of these revisions don't come off as gimmicks needed to justify the film's existence, just different (and better) ways to tell a classic tale.

With The Great Musical War of 2021 coming to a close, Steven Spielberg has emerged as the predictable winner. Perfectly melding the work of Bernstein and Sondheim with the newfound talents of DeBose, Faist, and Zegler, the new "West Side Story" makes the case for why some remakes should be allowed to happen. Because sometimes, they can meet or surpass the original, such as how this one does by bringing classic cinema into the modern world.