Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3Nl_TCQXuw
Rating- PG
Genre- Fantasy/Romance
Warnings- Fantasy Violence
The Beauty and the Beast story-the Disney version-is one of my most favorite movies ever. The reason because of this is definitely because of its main female lead, the beauty herself, Belle. At the time, she was one of those headstrong, no-nonsense females who didn't feel helpless and was smart enough to not fall for good looks alone and see the beauty in people on the inside.
When referring to Disney princesses, I'm not saying every other princess is trash here. Each one is special in their own way and in the past few years, we've gotten more movies involving princesses that are more complex, diverse and open to creating their own path to a happy ending. Still, I feel like Belle is the standout as one of the first princesses to start this trend. Plus with her being a brunette, loves reading books and feels like an outcast amongst her peers, it's middle school all over again!
With that being said, you can probably guess what I thought about this movie when I first saw the trailer for it in theaters.
I didn't like it at all. Emma Watson isn't the Belle I pictured, neither was the Beast the way I expected. Why was this even made? What else is there to tell? It's going to be the exact same plot! They're going to ruin this. I know it!
I was expecting similar reactions online and amongst friends who loved the movie too, but I was surprised to be wrong. They were not upset with the idea of a live-action adaption of the movie, they were jumping out of their seats for it. That's when I decided to stop being so stubborn and give this adaption a chance. So I pumped myself up for the movie for months until the day finally came. Saint Patrick's Day landed on the same day I saw it in theaters, so I could only hope I'd be lucky enough to gain a splendid movie experience.
After all of that being addressed, was the live-action adaption of "Beauty & the Beast" the belle of the ball or did it invite us to be guests to a poor performance?
The story is the same as the Disney version, however it does add a few original side plots and enhance a couple of characters who were not focused upon as much before.
One of the side plots involve the backstory of Belle's mother, which I didn't particularly enjoy because the story is about Beauty & the Beast, not Beauty & the Beast plus the mother. I understood why that plot was implemented, but I feel like it doesn't necessarily go anywhere. When the backstory of the mother is released, how does that change anyone's goal in the story? I feel like it doesn't.
I liked the idea of talking more about the mother since a lot of people were curious about her absence in the Disney version, but I feel like this movie could have acknowledged her disappearance rather than go into depth about why she was gone.
There was also a brief history about why the Beast became such a spoiled brat, and that too I didn't like because it feels like an excuse to pity him. Then again, it does bring up the plot hole on why his parents aren't around plus why all of his servants needed to be involved in his curse as well. So ultimately, the positives outweigh the negatives in this case. Additionally, the movie gives a really good reason as to why the townsfolk don't even know about this castle at all and that's a new idea that I found to be very positive to include.
Otherwise, the storyline is basically the exact same from the Disney version which brings up the question: what new thing does this bring to the table? Aside from filling a few plot points which aren't overwhelmingly more prominent than the main plot, there's nothing different to tell. Like a lot of recent real-life adaptions of Disney movies (e.g Snow White, Cinderella) I feel like people in Hollywood are just running out of ideas and trying to release the same movies in different formats.
Despite that, the movie was still enjoyable thanks to the characters. Everyone but Belle was fine by me, and to be honest I think I'm so against Emma Watson's Belle because I'm stubbornly biased. However, even if I wasn't, I still feel like she doesn't surpass Disney's Belle.
First off, I didn't find her as charming with her personality. Now this can be a love or hate thing with audiences, but the way she interacted with others was more blunt and aggressive than the Disney version. For example, the first time Gaston speaks to her, he really isn't that horrible and egotistical from what I remember. He was clearly pretending to like her interests but didn't demean her for it, yet when he asks her out she shuts him down right away with a simple, "no" and walks off with a disgusted look on her face.
Granted, Belle probably knew Gaston before this event but when I think about the additional backstory they added to Gaston's character which could bring justified sympathy to the character, I feel like her reaction was uncalled for.
I'm not saying that she should have said yes, but Disney's Belle was more cunning and sarcastic in her dialogue whereas Watson's Belle was upfront and didn't play with Gaston. Her attitude towards him was fine really, but I don't think it fit the character of Belle that's all.
In addition to that, Waston's Belle didn't seem to ever have a genuine smile on her face, like she was constraining her emotions the whole time. When she's locked in the castle I get why she wouldn't be so happy, but before that Belle didn't spark me as the type of person who had that pep in her step but seemed to just loathe her small, provincial town. Again, this can be a love-hate reaction towards audience because I can imagine people liking this side of Belle who may come off more realistic.
The town in general that Belle lives in was more cruel in this version. Unlike the old version where they did judge Belle for her love of reading, they were only focused on during the opening song, "Belle" and afterwards, they are in the background as the main characters take the lead. This town seems to target Belle wherever she goes. There's a scene where Belle is minding her own business and teaching someone to read and when somebody else spots this, people come over and trash her laundry. Plus, I got the feeling that they were more comical in the Disney version but in the real-life adaption they feel like villains themselves. Although, I must give credit that they did include a couple of townsfolk who were against the ignorance and were on Belle's side.
Gaston was great to me, they did cut a few things from his character but they didn't ruin anything. I was only disappointed that they didn't place him as someone more persistent with Belle. I was expecting a huge makeshift wedding like in the Disney version, but his advances included nothing like that. His advances could make any woman annoyed, but I don't think they were so intense that Belle would run out to a grassy hill and sing about her woes. I mean the Disney Gaston barged into her home and put his muddy feet on her table, but this one just follows her to the house and stops talking to her once she shuts the door on him.
Other than that, Gaston was a wonderful character in terms of a villain. He appears to be one of the more realistic Disney villains because he has no superpowers or huge agenda to take over the world, he's just an egotistical man that has a one-sided attraction towards a woman who hates him. Also, with the additional backstory attached to him, it's more justified why the town quickly follows his lead to try and kill the Beast and admire him so much.
Side note, Gaston's sidekick Lefou was great as well and whatever you may have heard about some theaters not showing this movie because he's gay, that's ridiculous. Lefou wasn't a obnoxiously gay character, he was a person that wasn't defined by his sexual orientation. Yes, there were a few signs that he had attraction for men but it didn't overshadow his overall character. It was also pleasing to see him actually think of things that argue against Gaston's opinions, he was a pleasant character to watch.
The Beast wasn't as likable as Disney's Beast and similar to the conflict I have with Waston's Belle, I think it's because I've grown up with the cartoon Beast and he has a soft spot in my heart. I feel like the cartoon animations on the Beast helped me like him more with his wacky expressions and impulsive behavior. However, this Beast did feel like he was more hopeless in his situation and he didn't even try to get Belle to love him in the beginning.
You could say the same for Disney's Beast but when Belle decided to stay in the castle to replace her father, that's when Beast used the opportunity to try and make her fall in love with her. Then again, the real-life Beast could be seen as more realistic because it had been years since he transformed, so him not even wanting to try at first exemplifies that.
The side characters like Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs Potts were way more detailed in their design but didn't feel too detailed that you couldn't recognized their faces. Each were very likable and this version gives more attention to their situation in the curse and my goodness, their consequences in the curse is so present that I was ready to cry knowing what would happen to them. I'm still questioning why a child like Chip would be cursed since how in the world would he influence the Beast's bad behavior, but nevertheless, the characters were still great.
I can't say much about the CGI because I think it's obvious just how lovely it all came out, but I did notice how some scenes like Belle being introduced to her bedroom or the townspeople ruining her laundry either don't focus on the right things or pass by too quickly. For example, the bedroom was supposed to show how beautiful and grand it was but the camera direction focused mostly on the ceiling of the room and the golden decorations on it instead of the huge beds or large windows. Also, the townspeople messing with Belle passed by so quick, I'm sure half of the audience completely forgot that it even happened.
Last thing to note is the musical soundtrack, which was amazing! I was nit picking in the beginning of the movie, but when I allowed myself to enjoy myself a bit and be immersed into the movie I realized that the songs weren't bad at all. There were even a couple new ones, one of them I actually listened to after the movie was done. Each of them were very beautiful and worth a listen.
In conclusion, the real-life adaption of Beauty & the Beast was better than expected. There are a few questionable changes and depending on the viewer, you will probably either love or hate Belle and the Beast and even when it comes to me, I can't say that I hate them but I just expected more out of them. Other than that, the music was great, animation, story, characters, and while it might be pretty predictable on how the story will end since it is such a classic, it won't hurt to watch it in theaters.
I am going to give Beauty & the Beast a 4 out of 5 stars.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
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So not only was the Beast a jerk, but everyone else is too. Great start.
Nice going showing the Beast's full face! Now it won't be as grand seeing him as a human!
So Gaston just came back from a war? That explains how everyone loves him.
They're really going in depth about the mom? It really doesn't matter to me. I don't know what this will accomplish.
Belle asks for a rose every single year?
Is that it? I thought, but, the wedding scene? Gaston, try harder than that, buddy
The scene with Chip and Maurice was too funny! I would have acted the same way
That horse was like, "Forget telling Belle about her father; I'm going to rehydrate."
I like how clever Belle was tricking her father out of the prison, but she doesn't seem that distressed that she was supposed to be locked away in the castle forever. I mean the Disney version cried her eyes out over it and here this Belle looks like she just realized they ran out of chocolate flavored ice cream at Diary Queen. Then again, some people would throw fits if that were to happen...the point is, she didn't look that unhappy.
Kill those items, Belle. Kill them!
In the Disney version, the Beast wanted Belle to come to dinner but in this one he'd rather be alone. He was really planning on leaving her to die, wasn't he? "Honey, remember when I was planning on leaving you for dead and if it weren't for my servants, you would be dead by now? Good times"
It's cute how the featherduster was trying to keep the light on Lumiere
Belle, try the gray stuff for God's sake! It's delicious!
You know Lumiere, Belle probably can't see you while you do your dramatic walk with the tablecloth as your cape, right?
These servants (items?) aren't letting her eat anything during this performance! What unknowing jerks!
I like Mrs Potts' speech about the servants, "doing nothing." I still don't think it explains why the enchantress cursed an innocent child!
Was Belle's horse still at the castle this whole time? How...
In 3D, that snowball Beast throws it actually quite daunting.
The library scene is the first time I really felt Waston was acting very happy.
Oh come on! So are you saying that because Belle had that rose rattle that she's destined to love roses?
I'm glad they kept Mrs Potts singing the theme song while the couple danced
Aww, the Beast didn't play with her hair on the balcony like in the Disney version. It's a minor thing, but check it out, it is so romantic!
I did not expect him to sing. Wait, am I getting emotional? Wow, this song is actually really good...I don't know if it fits but it's beautiful...
Did Belle return to the town in her yellow dress in Disney too?
The part where one of the men were happy to be in the dress was really cute
I wasn't expecting the gunshots. This movie spooks me good!
Hey, Belle cried after the last petal fell! He shouldn't come back to life!
That dying scene with the servants will traumatize me for a while.
Especially the dog, I almost cried on that one.
The death of Chip made me chuckle. Don't blame me, okay? Look at it and try not to laugh! Also, we can't see him turn into a teacup, grow some guts movie!
Did Belle and the Beast not need any dialogue before they made out? They just look at each other and kiss. I mean, I guess it's justified since Belle in the Disney version looks at Beast as if she doesn't know it's him even though he clearly transformed in front of her, but I still found it kind of weird how as soon as he transforms she goes in and kisses him.
Nice how the servant females are mostly African-American in interracial relationships and are very beautiful. Diversity in a movie is always wonderful.
This is my dirty mind, but the servants weren't with them when everyone transformed back. Plus, the scene of everyone turning human went on for a while. So, maybe while everyone was celebrating, did Belle and Beast...? I know they didn't, just let me live!
That growl was so placed in.
So, why was the enchantress in the town? Why did she go to the Beast's home in the first place? Was she watching over him? Why didn't she leave the town after changing him? What?
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