Beauty & The Beast - movie review
Beauty & The Beast
Plot: An adaptation of the fairy tale about a monstrous-looking prince and a young woman who fall in love.
Cast: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans
Director: Bill Condon
Certificate: PG (mild violence, threat)
Runtime: 2hrs 9 mins
Release Date: Friday 17th March 2017
"Tale as old as time. True as it can be. Barely even friends. Then somebody bends. Beastiality..." With Disney churning out live action adaptation after live action adaptation, it was only a matter of time before we begin to reach the Disney classics. Cinderella, Jungle Book and Alice In Wonderland are all regarded as strong work by Disney (when they were animated) but Beauty & The Beast is arguably one of Disney's greatest. Thankfully, they have followed in suit with Cinderella and Jungle Book and perfectly transported the beloved animation to a live action setting.
The 1991 original is the epitome of Disney magic. It's sensational from start to finish and pretty much perfect in every way imaginable. From the songs to the romance that I get swept up in every time I watch it, I cannot argue with anyone that claims it as their favourite Disney film. It might not be my personal choice but it's up there among the best and will always have a special place in my nostalgia crammed heart. My worry when it came to the live action adaptation wasn't necessarily debating on the need for it (Disney have proved themselves with their other adaptations and there have been numerous stage shows, so why moan?). The casting of these highly adored characters was my main concern. Belle. The Beast. Gaston. Lumiere. All of these names are synonymous with this film and can be instantly recognised by both Disney fan and average Joe alike. As it turns out, I had absolutely nothing to worry about. It is a little painful to know that an entire generation will grow up knowing Emma Watson as Belle instead of Hermoine but I guess that helps define a legacy. Heck, I will always know Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jin whereas my sister will always know him as Aslan. Watson is more than suitable in the role of Belle. She looks the part (especially in that famous yellow dress) and acts the part too. She definitely has helped make Belle even more of an independent and headstrong character, which is quite a feat considering she was already fairly self-reliant in the 1991 film. My only slight issue with Watson is her singing. It's not bad. In fact, I would imagine she's probably got a really nice and natural voice but it's impossible to tell underneath the layers of autotune placed over the top. I understand she needed to have the idyllic quality about her to solidify her as a perfect, soon to be, princess. However, when the other actors around her either have had practice with musical theatre or have an amazing singing voice, the digitalisation of Emma Watson's voice stands out like a sore thumb. Strip away all of the computer tinkerings and I'd imagine she would have been absolutely brilliant nonetheless.
Sliding in as The Beast is Dan Stevens, an actor who I am always thrilled to see in whatever role he crops up in. Most will know him from Downtown Abbey but I highly advise all of you to watch Stevens in The Guest. Ever since then, I'm sold on whatever he does and you'll find me rooting for him to be the new James Bond. As The Beast, I thought he was brilliant. Obviously, a great deal of The Beast is achieved through visual effects but Stevens puts on a tremendous voice which exudes a truckload of humanity through this monster. I was a little unsure of how Stevens would tackle this character from the classic and freshly designed prologue but those worries were quickly brushed aside once we see The Beast come into the fray. His singing voice is even far better than I thought it'd be. In the animated film, The Beast sings in a humanly voice which always baffled me. This time round, and complete with a brand new song, Stevens sings as a Beast would seemingly sing. What's more is that he's able to act through the song. 'Evermore' is a new addition and I thought it was utterly fantastic to see the pain and lust overcome The Beast, something that would have been a challenge for animation to succeed with. If I had to think of one issue regarding The Beast, it's that his presence was severely lacking in the first half. With the animated film, it was only an hour and a half so the pace flew by. This time round, it's almost half an hour longer and there were a couple times where I noticed a distinct lack of Beast which did feel like a small shame simply because I was fascinated with Stevens' characterisation. Now, I have a little bit of a confession to make. As well as Gaston being one of my favourite Disney 'villains', I also object to labeling him as a 'villain'. He's just misunderstood. Obviously I am kidding of course. I just think Gaston is such a great character. He's not inherently evil but instead, his inflated ego is his downfall. That and he's constantly led by his nether regions rather than brain or heart. It should therefore come as no surprise that I found Luke Evans' portrayal was spot on. There is no one who could have pulled off Gaston as well as he did. He nails the manly personality but also adds some depth to the character by introducing his desire for hunting and a sense of action and adrenaline ever since returning from the war. We also shouldn't forget his partner, Le Fou who is brilliantly played by Josh Gad. Whilst everyone has gotten caught up with Le Fou's sexuality (I thought he was gay all along), Gad plays this character to perfection. Even this 'new' attraction for Gaston is played to comedic excellence so for anyone complaining, they can just jump on their backwards thinking high horse and ride away. The castle staff are no exception from the sensational casting. Ian McKellen as Cogsworth is an inspired choice as is Ewan McGregor for Lumiere who actually does a fairly decent job with the French accent. It would have been nice to see Lumiere and Cogsworth have a bit more banter as they did in the animated but that didn't hinder the proceedings this time round. Even Kevin Kline is great as Maurice, Belle's father. His character had, perhaps, altered the most but fortunately it works in the films favour. Before, Maurice was just a bumbling and cooky fool but now, Kline adds some weight to him and I thought the bond he has with Belle is marvelous.
FACT: Ryan Gosling was offered the role of the Beast, but turned it down to appear in La La Land instead. Emma Watson was offered the lead role in that film, but turned down that film to star in this one.
It should come as no surprise when I reveal that this is a direct remake of the animation. Disney haven't decided to follow in the weak footsteps of Maleficent and totally reinvent and potentially ruin that which came before. Instead, it is a beat for beat adaptation with a few welcomed tweaks here and there. We still see Belle as the book loving and independent young woman stuck in a town that doesn't respect her. Gaston is evermore the pig-ignorant and self-centred brute who lusts after the one thing he'll never have. However, and as any remake/reboot/re-imagining should aim for, the original canon is graciously expanded upon to help fill in some gaps where the animated film may have brushed over. For example, we are given small insights into who Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts were before the curse befell them. Instead of simply being the furniture of the castle, Condon and his writing team develop them all into human characters which I found important considering how they were all innocently caught up in the Enchantress' magical punishment. Even Gaston is given a bit more explanation. We always knew he was a conceited and self-absorbed maniac but with an elongated runtime and a greater look at his relationship with Le Fou, Gaston's reasons for his actions are hinted at as are his gradual turn from a nasty piece of work to an eventual villain. However, it's Belle and especially Maurice who are given the most detailed exposition. Firstly, I think that the father-daughter relationship is perfect in this live action adaptation. You feel their love and heartache when Belle is separated exponentially more than I did originally. Thankfully, through a new little gizmo that The Beast possesses, we are given an insight into Belle's history and most importantly, her mother. These new additions only add to my enjoyment and never feel forced or unwelcome.
Visually, however, Beauty & The Beast is magnificent. The Beast's CGI is a little rough around the edges when we meet him first but it was soon overlooked and forgotten about. The sets and costumes are stupendous. Whether it be the grandiose ballroom, the tavern in which Gaston socialises or Belle's stunning yellow gown, everything looks like it was ripped out of the cartoon and given a splash of realistic magic. Upon the release of promotional images, I was significantly underwhelmed with the look and design for Lumiere and his fellow castle staff. They looked a lot less like the characters we were used to but fear not because once we get used to this new facelift, their personalities are what makes them instantly recognisable. It's like drastic plastic surgery. Going into the film, my most anticipated aspect of the film were the songs. All, and I do mean ALL of the songs in the animated version are flawless. I could hum, sing and for some belt them out without a single worry or care. With Alan Menken still composing, it should be no shock to the system to hear that this is a true musical. Singing aside, the staging and filmmaking used to recreate these numbers are nearing levels of cinematic perfection. The Gaston song, which is a personal favourite of mine is sheer excellence. It begins exactly like it appeared in its previous incarnation and then ascends into Broadway quality with amazing choreography and a sense of enjoyment emanating throughout. As the song came to a side-splitting close, I honestly didn't think anything could top that. Then came Be Our Guest. For someone who is a Disney fanatic, seen the animated film more times than I can count and been to DisneyWorld, I can categorically confirm that when that song came to a close, I joined many other audience members and applauded what I had just seen. Be Our Guest is nothing short of visual brilliance that slapped the largest of grins on my face. I did not think they could pull that song off but it exceeds all of my expectations. I defy any of you who grew up with this film to watch that musical number and not feel a small nostalgia tear fall down your cheek. And then, as we reach the gorgeous ballroom dance sequence as Mrs. Potts explains to us the tale as old as time, beautiful doesn't begin to describe how well it has translated from animation to a human paired with CGI. On all technical levels, Beauty & The Beast is a masterpiece. Even the new songs are fantastic. Days In The Sun, Paris Of My Childhood and specifically Evermore are outstanding additions to a soundtrack bursting at the seams with greatness.
Consider me no longer worried when another article breaks about Disney remaking another of their classic animations so long as they follow the quality that the most recent three have. Beauty & The Beast was already a tour de force for Disney back in the day but they have truly outdone themselves this time. The casting, the musical numbers and the design of everything you see is second to none. It might be unnecessary for some but I spent the entire time beaming. Simply put, it's magical.
My Verdict: 9/10
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