Beauty And The Beast Reviewed
My parents are in town this weekend and one of the big things I promised to do was to take them to see an early screening of Beauty and the Beast. I thought that they would love this and that I would be a hero for taking them, but my Mom hasn't been to a movie theater since I left for college, and I had to spend a significant amount of time convincing her she wouldn't get nauseous watching the movie on a 3D IMAX screen.
I love the animated version of Beauty and the Beast. I believe it is a perfect movie and may very well still be the best animated movie ever made. Seriously, if you can make it out of this review without any of the songs getting stuck in your head I'll give you a nickel. So how does one improve upon a perfect movie? You really can't; the best you can do is hope to match it and at times the new version does just that.
I don't think anyone wanted to see a shot for shot remake of the animated classic. And this new version is not that. While the main thrust of the story stays faithful to the source material, what director Bill Condon provides are some modern updates to our favorite lines and a little depth and background to better understand how we got here. But not all of the additions work; scenes that take place before Belle meets the Beast make the movie drag, however, scenes that happen after help provide depth and shading to our characters.
I love the animated version of Beauty and the Beast. I believe it is a perfect movie and may very well still be the best animated movie ever made. Seriously, if you can make it out of this review without any of the songs getting stuck in your head I'll give you a nickel. So how does one improve upon a perfect movie? You really can't; the best you can do is hope to match it and at times the new version does just that.
I don't think anyone wanted to see a shot for shot remake of the animated classic. And this new version is not that. While the main thrust of the story stays faithful to the source material, what director Bill Condon provides are some modern updates to our favorite lines and a little depth and background to better understand how we got here. But not all of the additions work; scenes that take place before Belle meets the Beast make the movie drag, however, scenes that happen after help provide depth and shading to our characters.
I will admit I wasn't the most accepting viewer at times. Any time I heard a new song it was usually met with crossed arms. While not all of them won me over, others like "Evermore" left my heart fluttering and me muttering 'this isn't so bad I guess.' To no one's surprise, the musical sequences are the movie's best. And who would've guessed that anyone would be able to match the beauty of Angela Lansbury singing the title song, but this new version brought tears to my mother's eyes –so I would say Emma Thompson did a pretty good job.
In fact, the entire cast was fantastic. Emma Watson embodies everything that Belle stands for, while Dan Stevens makes a terrific monster. But for the movie to really work the supporting cast needed to bring the levity and they were more than up to the task. Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Ewan McGregor, and Ian McKellen are wonderful as the inanimate objects that run the house. It is these actors along with the Gaston (Luke Evans) and LeFou (Josh Gad) who help propel the movie to the heights it reaches.
I can't believe that it is 2017 and Disney still had to come out and make a big statement that one of the characters in their movie is gay. But perhaps the most frustrating aspect is that the reveal happens so fast that if you don’t know what you are looking for you would miss it. After all that kerfuffle I wish they had made him MORE gay.
I see movies all the time which is probably why I spend most of my reviews nitpicking. But my Mom thought it was better than the original. When I asked her about the movie she said, "I loved it all - except for the wolves. You would think in this day and age Walt Disney could spend the money and make the wolves look good." For those who only go the movies once or twice a year — count this as a must-see. It’s a faithful adaptation that may not be perfect but will leave the audience enchanted. B+
In fact, the entire cast was fantastic. Emma Watson embodies everything that Belle stands for, while Dan Stevens makes a terrific monster. But for the movie to really work the supporting cast needed to bring the levity and they were more than up to the task. Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Ewan McGregor, and Ian McKellen are wonderful as the inanimate objects that run the house. It is these actors along with the Gaston (Luke Evans) and LeFou (Josh Gad) who help propel the movie to the heights it reaches.
I can't believe that it is 2017 and Disney still had to come out and make a big statement that one of the characters in their movie is gay. But perhaps the most frustrating aspect is that the reveal happens so fast that if you don’t know what you are looking for you would miss it. After all that kerfuffle I wish they had made him MORE gay.
I see movies all the time which is probably why I spend most of my reviews nitpicking. But my Mom thought it was better than the original. When I asked her about the movie she said, "I loved it all - except for the wolves. You would think in this day and age Walt Disney could spend the money and make the wolves look good." For those who only go the movies once or twice a year — count this as a must-see. It’s a faithful adaptation that may not be perfect but will leave the audience enchanted. B+
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