Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Memorable, crazy movie

Am I Missing Something?

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Remakes of original films always make me cringe - you can never beat an original, even if it is a bad one.I'm not fully against this remake but I feel with Disney and their budget they could have done and made it a lot better.My main gripe were the accents - fairly dodgey especially in the songs. Some can pull it off but Ewan Mcgregor isn't remotely French in this film, Emma Watsons singing has been extremely enhanced and takes away from her natural voice.As a story, it's tried and tested through the original - even if there is a plot flaw (not saying there is one) it is a Disney classic and the charm of that is there overpowering the flaws.Could have done better though Disney...

I feel like there is not a lot to say about this film. It was a live action remake of the fantastic 1991 original Beauty and the Beast (emphases on the remake). I felt like this remake did not really bring new life to a story like a remake is supposed to; it just slapped a few new songs in there and called it good. I think that the whole live action Disney thing is a cash grab, but this isn't the time or place to discuss this... To be fair, there were things I did enjoy about this film. I thought the way they did some of the old songs like "Be Our Guest" and "Tale as Old as Time" were done very well. I also thought the film was visually pleasing and the costume/set design was whimsical. Overall, I think this as an average film that did not give justice to the original except for a few spots here and there.

1.5/4I thoroughly enjoyed Cinderella (2015) and was expecting Beauty and the Beast to do its respective predecessor justice. I'm going to just tell you my personal opinion: It didn't come close. Stick with the cartoon from 1991.To start off on a positive note, the visuals are absolutely stunning. The cinematography is lush and the set is total perfection. It truly is some of the best eye-candy I've ever seen in a movie (and I've seen a lot of movies ladies and gentlemen). Direction screenplay, and plot all seem to take a backseat to production. My answer to that? Go tour a real castle.Emma Watson makes for a great Belle, and she's a great misfit bookworm princess. Also, she fits in to the Parisian born theme of the character perfectly, as she is Parisian in real life. However, everyone else is completely miscast, especially Luke Evans as Gaston. The overly cocky and somewhat fun character is simply overly cocky in this movie. How much fun can you have with one mood? Anyone? C'mon, Luke, you aren't even acting like you're interested in Belle at all. Josh Gad is no good as the gay LeFou. With all of the hype and controversy Disney made of LeFou, you'd think they'd do a homosexual character right? Wrong. They never let you forget about his sexual orientation, and they remind you even at times when it's totally unimportant to the story. Gad's character could never develop beyond Gaston's inferior/cronie/admirer.At the end of the day, this movie felt too true to the original. When you try to mimic and old glory, it never comes out just how you'd want it. Aside from the opening number (the song about how odd Belle is) none of the other songs have a lasting impact. "Be My Guest" was good, but the CGI was ridiculous to me, as they didn't even animate the atmosphere of most of the song. Some songs (like Evermore) have about 15 seconds of screen time, and others (like Gaston) were completely out of wack due to Luke Evan's eye-rolling preformance.Is this a bad movie? No. Is this a good movie? No. Did it live up to my expectations? No. Is the cartoon better? Yes. Would I ever watch this live-action version again? Probably not.

Small town girl Belle gives up her liberty to free her father from a Beast. She does not know that the captor is a selfish, loveless Prince. He was enchanted to remain a Beast until he discovers how to love. If he fails he will remain a Beast forever, together with his enchanted servants (tough on them, but there you go). Will Belle be the one to unlock the love within him before the last petal falls from the enchanted rose, and free them all? Or will vain Gaston, determined to marry an unwilling Belle, mess things up?You already know the answer if you saw the hand-drawn animated version from 26 years ago. That was the first animated film to be nominated for the Best Film Oscar. So how does the remake compare, and does it stand on its own?It is a handsome film. That's because the basic design - sets, locations, characters - is strongly based on the original. There is much more texture, of course. And Beast's castle is far more extensive. I liked the way that every time a petal falls, part of the castle crumbles: this explains why much of it is in ruins. And the characters, whether human or castle objects are very obviously based on their drawn counterparts.I thought there were times when a location could have been used rather than a set, particularly in the woods, but this is a minor point.The casting is very good. Each cast member fits their part. Most sing well, too - Emma Watson is good, but maybe lacks a little in technique and vocal strength. There has been comment on Josh Gad's gay-leaning LeFou. Well, OK, but it's very understated. There is also a crossdressing gag which is funny, but it's over before you realise it. Incidentally, Luke Evans' Gaston is NOT the size of a barge.The film is inevitably loaded with CGI. As far as the household objects are concerned, this is superb. Lumiere, Cogsworth and co. are all animated superbly, look completely convincing, and integrate perfectly with sets and actors. The fight at the end is stunning.I had no problems with the Beast, but I know there are some who find his CGI face unconvincing. I think young viewers will have no problem.The story is familiar. Essentially unchanged from the animated version, it has some additional backstory. One of the reasons for seeing a remake is to discover the changes, so I will say no more about that. I thought the additions were worthwhile.This is, first and foremost, a musical film. I am delighted to report that the wonderful songs and expected production numbers are all present. Alan Menken's glorious melodies include several new songs and also the soundtrack score. Tim Rice adds words for the new songs. The wonderful original lyrics by the late, and much-missed, Howard Ashman are augmented by some which were cut from the original film. My only criticism is that some of the lyrics of "Gaston" got lost in the mix of a rather raucous production.There are some good 3D moments, but I wouldn't bother making an effort to see it in 3D.There is much to enjoy here. Maybe it doesn't come up to the standard of its animated predecessor, but taken on its own I think it should find great success.