Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Developed by: Walt Disney Pictures/ Mandeville Films

Distributed by: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Rating: PG

Directed by: Bill Condon

Starring:

    -          Emma Watson

    -          Dan Stevens

    -          Luke Evans

    -          Josh Gad

    -          Ewan McGregor

    -          Ian McKellen

Story Time:

So I grew up watching the original animated classic Beauty and the Beast and I have fond memories of that film (probably because of Disney airing it like a bazillion times over the years to the point I got sick of it, this also happened with a couple of other classic films, just goes to show what overexposure could do to a great film). So going into this film I was quite excited to see what they were going to do with the film, and the excitement partially came from the fact that Disney has been producing a lot of quality live action remakes in recent memories. On top of that the production value shown in the trailer was very solid in my eyes – and I have concluded after seeing the film that it’s no lie to say that the production values were very well spent.

So you all know the story, it IS a “tale as old as time” after all. Arrogant prince was being a prick who only cares about appearances, gets cursed and turned into a beast, girl came along and he learns about love and all that stuff.

And I have to say that the story in this film really does not deviate from the original animated classics all that much with the exceptions of a few new plot elements added in and few new songs (all of which are fantastic by the way) but aside from that, there’s not really much new here, if you’ve already seen the original animated film, there isn’t going to be much surprise here, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing to be honest.

In fact, I’m glad that they had stuck to the original flow of the original, mostly because I really adore the original songs from the original classic, so waiting for those songs to be performed on screen is really part of the joy itself. And as for some of the new plot elements added into the film – I’m actually very glad that they included all of those plot points in, it really helps to tie up a few loose ends and minor plot holes in the original film and I appreciate the film for doing so.

Speaking of the musical scores, there is only one way to describe the performances and musical numbers in this film – absolutely fantastic. The performances is solid all around, from the main lead – Emma Watson (who played Belle) and Dan Stevens (who played the Beast) – to the supporting cast – Luke Evans (Gaston), Emma Thompson (Mrs. Potts) and so much more.

I will admit that I am a sucker for any good musicals (Les Misérables comes to mind). But the fact still remains that the musical scores in the film is such a good mix between classical Disney scores and theatrical styles musicals. A few of my favorites are the “Mob Song” and the Beast’s new original solo song “Evermore”.

And speak of the devil (or in this case the Beast), Dan Stevens’ performance in this film is easily one of the best in the entire cast. He brings in that angry and petty Beast persona we all know since the first Disney classic but he also adds in a calmer, more sympathetic and more understanding side to his character which adds a lot of layer to the Beast.

Emma Watson as Belle on the other hand, although she performed quite well for the most part and her singing can be considered very good and competent, I just can’t help but notice her acting to be slightly wooden at times, but this is just a minor gripe I have with her character that occurs mostly at the beginning of the film, the rest of her performance is fine, it’s just not anything mind blowing.

The supporting cast also did a pretty swell job, too. My personal favorite of the castle staff is Ewan McGregor’s performance of Lumière, and it may or may not be because of his on screen performance of the song “Be Our Guest”.

Another favorite of mine is Luke Evans’ performance of Gaston, he was a giant a-hole, and that’s exactly what I wanted from the man. Although there was one scene from the film that made me feel he was being a teeny tiny bit over the top, as if he was a cartoon villain. Sometimes doing so can be a good thing, this is just not one of those cases. But other than that he was absolutely fantastic.

VERDICT:

This 2017 adaptation of Beauty and the Beast is a fantastic film with a lot of entertaining performances and wondrous musical numbers which blends perfectly into the movie. The story does not deviate much from the original classic but that’s okay. It’s not a revolutionary film, but it sure is damn sure an entertaining one.

SCORE: 6.2/10

Star rating: