Film Review: Beauty and the Beast

I finally got round to watching the 2017 live-action version of 'Beauty and the Beast' yesterday. I had actually been in two minds whether to do so, as professional critics had given it a somewhat lukewarm response. However, all my friends said that they'd thoroughly enjoyed it, so I decided to approach it with an open mind.

The new live-action version of  'Beauty and the Beast'

Storyline

The plot largely follows that of its 1991 predecessor. A vain and selfish prince insults an enchantress by refusing to accept a rose as payment for accommodation. She then places a curse on him and his castle, transforming him into a beast and his servants into household objects. This curse can only be lifted if he learns to love another person and earns her love in return before the last petal falls from the enchantress's rose.

But who can learn to love a beast?

Evaluation

Visually, this is one of the most stunning films I've seen in a long time. The sets, the costumes, and the cinematography all look amazing. Belle's yellow ballgown wasn't as spectacular as the deep blue 'Cinderella dress', but it still made an impression and the famous dance sequence to the title song definitely didn't disappoint. 

In terms of casting, Ms Watson wasn't the most obvious choice for Belle. She's pretty, but admittedly not the outstanding beauty that you might expect of the main character. I had the feeling that she got the part more because of how well known she is thanks to the Harry Potter films. But those who hold reservations because they associate her with annoying 'know-it-all' Hermione needn't worry. She may not be the world's greatest actress, but I thought she did fine in the role, and succeeded in making Belle a likeable heroine.

Gaston's disastrous attempts at courtship

The big revelation for me was Luke Evans. He stole the show as the arrogant, boorish Gaston - to the extent that I bizarrely found him a lot more charismatic than the rather insipid prince (Dan Stevens). Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Josh Gad who proved to be a bit too irritating as Gaston's servile sidekick, Lefou. 

Emma Thompson, Ewan McGregor and Ian McKellen were basically reduced to 'voice-over' work with brief cameos at the end. But McGregor's rendition of 'Be Our Guest' was absolutely fantastic and one of the highlights of the film. In fact, the music from 26 years ago still sounds as fresh as it did back then. However, I wasn't too enthusiastic about the three new songs that Tim Rice and Alan Menken wrote for the picture - even if they did give Céline Dion a new reason to warble over the end credits.  

  


'Days in the Sun' (embedded above) was particularly dreary. It accompanied an added subplot about the Beast's parents. It was then echoed by the equally drab 'How does a Moment Last Forever?' during a scene involving Belle's mother. Clearly, this was intended to explain how Belle and the Beast found some common ground, but for my part, this didn't really improve the story as such. 

If I were to be critical, a certain lack of continuity in the first part of the film also bothered me slightly. For instance, there's one scene where Belle's father is dragged away by the Beast - and then, shortly afterwards, he's shown rushing into the village tavern with no explanation as to how he got back there.

The part where Belle is attacked by wolves also lacked the necessary suspense. It seemed to me that the sequence was over far too quickly and the CGI-generated wolves didn't look wholly convincing. 

What do you think?

Nevertheless, the drama of the final battle scene does make up for this. Overall, this is an entertaining film and one which can be watched by people of all ages. I give it a solid 7.5/10. 

I would urge viewers (if possible) not to compare it constantly with the animated version.  Doing so will detract from the enjoyment of watching it. But that said, I couldn't ignore the fact that it was a remake of one of my favourite movies, and not quite in the same league. For that reason, I was unable to mark it any higher. 

In summary, it's good, engaging nostalgia - which just stops short of being great.

You can watch the trailer here:




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