My Review of Beauty And The Beast (2017)

Written by Stephen Chbosky & Evan Spiliotopoulos
Directed by Bill Condon

Belle:"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere, I want it more than I can tell... And for once it might be grand to have someone understand, I want so much more than they've got planned!"

You know the general gist with this one. I was originally going to view this live action remake to a classic Disney animated movie in the cinema, but changed my mind. The movie itself would go on to make a billion, a fate it would share with live action remakes of Aladdin and The Lion King. The obvious question, box office numbers aside - is it any good?

The answer is yes, of course it's good. It's not quite as enchanting as the animated version but there's plenty to like her. The main story is largely unchanged but there's certainly some additions as this live action take attempts to modernise the story a bit for a new generation of audiences.

Our story begins with a spoiled Prince named Adam (Dan Stevens) rejecting a beggar woman (Hattie Morahan) named Agathe. This turns out to be a rather fatal mistake as Agathe reveals herself to be an Enchantress and therefore not only turns Adam into a beast but all of his guests into household objects and if Adam can't find true love at a certain time, then he's doomed to remain a beast for eternity.

Cut to the village nearby and a young girl named Belle (Emma Watson)is the object of curiosity and derision by the villagers and the unwanted affection of the vain and boorish huntsman, Gaston (Luke Evans). When Belle's father, Maurice (Kevin Kline) makes the mistake of stealing a rose from the Beast's garden, Belle trades her own freedom for her father's and a fraught relationship between the title characters soon takes place.

I know there's problematic elements with this whole romance (Stockholm Syndrome, toxic masculinity, you name it, it's there) but seeing as I can separate fiction from reality and embrace the story as it is, the gradual thawing of Belle and the Beast's relationship from hostility to love is handled reasonably well with the extended time this live action version affords it.

The extended time doesn't massively expand upon some of the supporting characters as much as you'd expect but the characters aren't too short changed either. The likes of Lumiere (Ewan McGregor), Cosgworth (Ian McKellen), Mrs Potts (Emma Thompson) and Plumette (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) have some good moments in the movie as does Gaston's foolish friend, LeFou (Josh Gad).

Speaking of LeFou, the storm in a teacup (not you, Chip) over the character's homosexuality really was all for nothing. I'm not criticising as such but aside from a few moments that suggest he's in love with Gaston and a literal blink and you miss it dance moment with a male extra in the palace, it's nothing of a real note, which does seem to be an ongoing issue with Disney productions.

A little more noteworthy though was the movie's extra length to expand upon both Belle and Adam's respective childhoods with some tragic flashbacks to years before hand that informed their actions in the present day. Neither were really needed but both added a lot to the movie and while the chemistry with Emma Watson and Dan Stevens isn't as electric as it could've been, the two of them do compliment one another one.

- Originally director Bill Condon wasn't going to have music in this one. Fortunately he changed his mind.
- Alan Menken who scored the original movie returned to do music for this one along with Tim Rice.
- Standout music: The usual suspects (Belle, Be Our Guest, Beauty And The Beast, Gaston etc) but I did like the additions of Evermore and Days In The Sun. I wasn't too keen on How Does A Moment Last Forever.
- Chronology: If we're going by Gaston and LeFou's backstory, then sometime after 1763.

Beauty And The Beast doesn't quite have the magic of the 1991 classic but it's an intriguing live action of two halves - faithful remake while also adding it's own little bits. All the leading cast do a strong job in bringing the characters to the big screen and Condon certainly has some truly enchanting and gorgeously shot moments throughout the movie.

Rating: 7 out of 10