There’s a reason star-crossed lovers is one of the premier tropes in romance-related content. It’s devastating and beautiful, leaving fans begging for a happy ending—even though we know it can never happen. William Shakespeare knocked it out of the park centuries ago with Romeo and Juliet. Countless books, plays, movies, and TV shows have used the play as source materials to set up their own outrageously tragic love stories. The most famous example of this is, of course, the musical West Side Story. Steven Spielberg recently completed a decades-long dream to direct a West Side Story film adaptation and it is simply sublime. But the VFX and Chill folks from the YouTube channel Red Giant, found one way to make it better. West Side Story was missing a Velociraptor.
And I personally think this is the ill-fated romance of Shakespeare’s dreams. Red Giant presents West Side Story But with a Velociraptor.
For starters, the VFX works so well. And it’s the perfect workaround given the certainly troubling allegations against Ansel Elgort, who played Tony in Spielberg’s West Side Story. West Side Story and Jurassic Park don’t have much in common besides their director. But the VFX and Chill crew clearly had an excellent time pulling the video together.
In the description, they write: “What if West Side Story had a dinosaur in it? This retelling of Romeo and Juliet was 65 million years in the making. How many of Steven Spielberg’s films can the VFX and Chill crew pack into a trailer? Well, at least two!”
Now, many may ask, “Why a Velociraptor?” And admittedly, it’s not the dreamiest dinosaur. It’s not even remotely adorable. The velociraptor is the lanky white dude who is maybe a little needy and indecisive. He’s self-serving enough and it’s gonna get people killed. That’s what makes Jurassic Park’s Velociraptor perfect for this tragic tale.
Tony and Maria’s ill-fated romance was fine—beautiful even. Much like in Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story‘s supporting players are often considered the more dynamic characters. After all, their lives are devastatingly altered by sheer association to the central love story. However, a Velociraptor at the center of the love story would certainly add an even more unpredictable dynamic to the mix. I wouldn’t mind a feature-length cut of West Side Story But with a Velociraptor. But until then, I can settle for rewatching this delightful teaser over and over again.