Warning:
This post contains spoilers for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (2017)

“Come into the light!”

– Belle

Be My Guest

I want to try something new. Rather than write verbose prose in an attempt to articulate my thoughts on a movie, I’m going to provide most of my thoughts in tweetable nuggets along with a quick summary.

As always, let me know if you agree with my thoughts in the comments. I’d love to hear what you thought of the film.

Bulletpoints

  1. Emma Watson & Dan Stevens are – appropriately – the heart of the film with great chemistry, especially in the 3rd act.
  2. The film respects and pays homage to the original animated classic in almost all the best ways.
  3. Everyone has made a much bigger deal out of Le Fou being gay than is ever portrayed in the film… It’s certainly implied, though never stated, and always played for laughs.
  4. Alan Menken has crafted one of his best works in Evermore.
  5. Ranking Disney’s three adaptations, this would be third on my list.
  6. It’s not bad, but it’s not great. It takes a nearly flawless film and tries to add unnecessarily to it.
  7. This version is perhaps the funniest.
  8. The CGI is out of control. If The Jungle Book is The Lord of the Rings, this is The Hobbit.
  9. Likewise, the sets all seemed claustrophobic and small.
  10. Thus making Be Our Guest really hard to watch.
  11. I really wish there were more choreographed dance numbers.
  12. Some of the animation for Beast is really subpar and disappointing, with some shots looking as unfinished.
Dan Stevens performs Alan Menken’s Evermore

Bonus Thought

  • I did not see the added plot similarity with Batman v Superman coming. It worked much better here.

Summary

Let me be clear: I enjoyed the film; however, this wasn’t the remake I really wanted. I wish they had stuck to turning the Broadway musical into a film or been a bit more true to the original animated film. Still, I think this is definitely a film worth going to see, if for nothing else than the heartfelt story.

The Score

4 / 5

What did you think of Beauty and the Beast? Do you agree with my thoughts? Did you have a different experience? Share what’s on your mind in the comments below and let’s discuss.

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