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MOVIE REVIEW
Beauty and the Beast ‘stylish’ and ‘entertaining’
By Lucas Allen
Of the various adaptations of Jeanne-Marie Laprince de Beaumont’s tale, the 1991 Disney animated version of Beauty and the Beast remains a pop-culture milestone after being the first animated movie to be an Oscar-nominee for Best Picture. With the recent success of their live-action adaptations of “Cinderella” and “The Jungle Book,” the House of Mouse now sets its sights on bringing the tale of Belle and the beastly prince a new life on the screen.
Thanks to director Bill Condon and a talented cast the magic is alive and well.
The story is pretty much the same when you put the two versions standing side by side. Belle (Emma Watson) lives a quiet life in a small village with her father Maurice (Kevin Kline), while being pursued by Gaston (Luke Evans) to get married. During a trip, Maurice is imprisoned in an abandoned castle by the Beast (Dan Stevens).
At that point, Belle exchanges her freedom for her father’s and becomes a prisoner herself. Soon enough, she’s welcomed as a guest by the candelabra, Lumière (Ewan McGregor); the clock, Cogsworth (Ian McKellen); and teapot Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson), despite the Beast’s objections.
It turns out the Beast was once a selfish prince incurring the wrath of an enchantress, who placed a curse on him and his kingdom that can be broken only by love. As time goes by, Belle starts to fall for the creature’s gentle heart, which could lead to breaking the curse; however, Gaston, his friend LeFou (Josh Gad), and some angry villagers could interrupt the proceedings.
If you’re making a live-action adaptation of an animated feature, make sure you don’t make too much of a carbon copy that will put off those who still fondly remembered the original. This is especially the case when you’re turning an almost hour-and-a-half long cartoon into a two hour plus live-action cartoon. Writers Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos basically tried their best, adding new material to an already existing screenplay, even though some of the new stuff does not measure up to what made the original charming. Good for them for adding character motivation to the plot not seen in the original.
For those just wanting to have a good experience, the movie excels in its visual appeal. From its lavish production design to its fine use of CGI (computer generated imagery), the makers went above and beyond, creating a lavish, live-action musical. It’s also very nourishing for classic horror fans when the darker scenes inside the crumbling castle feels like it’s straight out of a Hammer horror movie. Things get a little chaotic during the climax with the mob, but once all that calms down, the Disney magic comes through.
With a talented cast, they managed to bring to life a wide variety of human and CG characters. Watson perfectly captures the gorgeous beauty and emotional courage of Belle, while Stevens is believable under the motion capture fur as the Beast. Evans seems to be having a blast as Gaston, as does Gad being hilarious as LeFou. McGregor, McKellen and Thompson add to the fun as our favorite talking antiques.
It’s also worth noting all the original songs composed by Alan Menken and written by Tim Rice and the late Howard Ashman are in the film, bringing back memories of the animated film. It might feel a bit jarring hearing new vocals by the new cast because the original voice actors made them so memorable. There’s also some new songs that may not be as memorable, but they’re fine additions, nonetheless.
It’s easy for anyone to accuse the new “Beauty and the Beast” to be a shot-for-shot remake, much like Gus Van Saint’s infamous 1998 Psycho remake, but that’s not the case. It is simply an up-to-date remake, certainly stylish and entertaining. For any Disney fan, it’s very much worth your time.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: PG (for some action violence, peri, and frightening images)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.5 Stars (Out of Four)
