Beauty and the Beast

Starring: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, Hattie Morahan, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Nathan Mack, Audra McDonald, Stanley Tucci, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Haydn Gwynne
Directed by: Bill Condon
Rating: PG
Genre: Fantasy, Musical
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Belle (Emma Watson) forms an unlikely bond with the Beast (Dan Stevens) who has imprisoned her in his castle.

Review:

Tim: Disney will likely never stop remaking their animated films into live action ones, so I guess we should just accept this as the new norm. It does frustrate me still- rather than telling new stories, we're watching the same ones be remade in a different format. That being said, Beauty and the Beast is perhaps the best of the live action remakes. That's somewhat intriguing, as the animated movie is perhaps the best thing Disney has ever done. While this movie isn't as good as the animated one, it's still thoroughly enjoyable in its own right.

I have to say that Bill Condon did a great job directing this movie. While it's basically the same movie we saw in 1991 (and truly, this is one of the movie's biggest limitations), it's still skillfully constructed. It's an entertaining, fun movie. It's enjoyable to watch, even if we've seen it before. I appreciated the few differences and new additions- I appreciated that this wasn't a scene-for-scene remake (although there's so, so many similarities).

Perhaps the greatest strength of this film is the cast. It's almost beyond belief how terrific the casting was. It all starts with Emma Watson, who makes an excellent Belle. She's smart yet innocent, likable and strong. She truly did a remarkable job in the lead role. Dan Stevens was very well cast as the Beast. While we only get to see his face for a few scenes, he does a good job bringing this character to life. Luke Evans was stunningly good as Gaston. I can't believe how much he looks and acts like that character. He might be the best casting of the entire film- he embraces this role and was fantastic in the part. Josh Gad was also incredible as LeFou. He was so entertaining in the role, bringing great levity to the film. Kevin Kline was perfectly cast as Belle's father. We also get a brilliant supporting cast of Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson, Ian McKellen, and Stanley Tucci. Truly, the cast as a whole is shockingly good. I loved the cast and they all serve to elevate the material.

The movie wisely keeps the best songs intact. It was fun seeing this cast sing so many of those classic Disney songs. While I still believe the songs were better presented in the animated film, it was incredibly exciting to see them brought to life in live action format. I loved that so many cast members actually sang their songs, including Emma Watson and Dan Stevens. That always makes the movie better. The film has three new songs, but none of them are true classics. The other incredible thing about this film are the costumes. Really, the whole cinematography was excellent. This is an absolutely gorgeous movie to look at.

While Disney's animated films have truly presented the Disney magic, their live action remakes have somewhat lacked that. Beauty and the Beast is by far the most magical live action remake yet. It's a wonderful, entertaining film. I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it. It still bugs me that we've already seen this movie, but I'd bet this is about as good as the remakes can get. Make no mistake, this is a film well worth seeing. I really, really enjoyed it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Beauty and the Beast (1991), Pete's Dragon, The Jungle Book