Director Bill Condon
Genre Fantasy | Musical | Romance
Cast Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Ewan McGregor
Rating PG
Release Date March 17th, 2017
“An adaptation of the classic fairy-tale about a monstrous prince and a young woman who fall in love.”
From director Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, Mr. Holmes), Beauty and the Beast is the live action retelling of the extremely popular Disney story. According to Disney, the first teaser trailer was viewed 91.8 million times in the first 24 hours, making it the most viewed teaser trailer in history. It is based on a traditional fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740. The original French feature-film released in 1946, and was very well received by critics. The animated Disney version first released in 1991, and became an instant classic. The cast for the latest release includes Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, and Josh Gad.
Staying true to Disney's classic, Beauty and the Beast is an enchanting experience for longtime fans of the timeless fairy tale. Admittedly I was never a huge fan of the original animated film, but I liked it and always considered it to be one of the best Disney movies ever made. But let's be clear, I am very much a guy, so that shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Still, between this and Cinderella, the popularity was and is essentially unmatched. With relatively moderate expectations, I was actually quite pleased with the 2017 live action version of Beauty and the Beast. Although musicals aren't my thing, I thought that aspect was well done, but what I enjoyed most was the humor. The film includes a ton of funny back and forth between characters which I really enjoyed. Be Our Guest is my favorite song in the film, and that is also the most nostalgic for me as well. This version also looks deeper into Belle’s backstory which I thought was a nice addition and better explained the “black sheep” status she and her father have in the village. The visuals are stunning, and even though I saw the film in 2D, it was obvious that the 3D version would be worth the higher price. . The CGI was top-notch from top to bottom. It is a little long at nearly twice the length of the original, and at times it felt like it was dragging a bit, but luckily that feeling was few and far between. For the most part it was paced quite well, always keeping things interesting. All in all, I found Beauty and the Beast to be a very uniquely entertaining experience. I feel the need to mention that the infamous and controversial gay scene involving Josh Gad's LeFou character was extremely overblown. For a theater to refuse showing the movie over that is ignorance at its finest. Unfortunately, People always need something to complain about these days.
Beauty and the Beast certainly didn't skimp out on the cast. Although some have criticized the casting of Emma Watson as Belle, I thought she did a fantastic job, especially considering the immense pressure she must have felt to perform up to expectations. She possesses that girl next door beauty, and I felt she fit the role perfectly. As far as her singing ability is concerned, she held her own in that respect as well. Dan Stevens made the role of The Beast his own, and also developed great chemistry with Watson. Kevin Kline takes on the role of Belle’s dad Maurice, and the veteran actor delivers as expected. Luke Evans perfectly plays a conceited knucklehead and is very easily disliked, which is a credit to his performance. Josh Gad is great as LeFou, and I felt like he did a phenomenal job alongside Evans. If I had to choose, I would say that Ewan McGregor was my favorite part of the cast. He is the voice of Lumiere, which translates as light in French, the man who was transformed into a candlestick. He was witty and hilarious each and every second he was on screen. Ian McKellan took on the voice of Cogsworth the clock, and he also shared a great deal of hilarious banter with Lumiere. The entire cast met and exceeded expectations.
Whether you grew up a fan of the fairytale or not, Beauty and the Beast creates a well-crafted world of fantasy that is simply irresistible. My lady is a huge fan of the original movie, having watched it an insane amount of times, and has been excited to see this for months. I am pleased to say that she absolutely loved it, and that alone is enough for me to give my recommendation. Beauty and the Beast should be experienced by all generations, and this is the version that certainly ups the ante of overall appeal.
