My Movie Review on Beauty and the Beast (2017) (Reconstructed and Re-Analyzed)
This review is a completely modified version of the analysis I made on “Beauty and the Beast (2017)” 6 years ago in 2018. It also includes some slight re-analyzing, which became inevitable as I started reconstructing the whole thing.
Not too long ago, I was initially going to look back on many of the first reviews I made simply to correct some grammatical errors and modify their original posts. Including this one. But, as I started doing so with the 2017 “Beauty and the Beast” film, I realized that my feelings towards it had changed over the years. So, I decided to present it as a brand new post.
And no, I did not give the film a rewatch in preparation. My experience with it was something I always remembered, so it was easy to think of what to say without doing so.
Take a look:
Greetings and salutations, my friends.
This is your top-of-the-line film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, I will be reviewing Disney's 2017 live-action "Beauty and the Beast".
Here’s the rundown of it:
An arrogant prince is cursed to live as a terrifying beast until he finds true love. Strangely, his chance comes when he captures an unwary clockmaker, whose place is then taken by his bold and beautiful daughter Belle. Helped by the Beast's similarly enchanted servants - including a clock, a teapot, and a candelabra - Belle begins to see the sensitive soul behind the fearsome facade. But as time runs out, it soon becomes obvious that Belle's cocky suitor Gaston is the real beast of the piece.
First off, I’d like to apologize for not reviewing the animated version yet. I know you guys would want me to do that very soon, but I decided to analyze the live-action version first since I never saw it before.
Prior to this, I was initially hesitant to check it out because there were so many controversial things I heard about it. But, I ultimately saw the film anyway with my Mom and grandmother while it was available on Netflix.
Coming from a guy who finally saw the live-action “Beauty and the Beast” for himself, I’d like to say this:
As a whole, the movie had some positives, but it generally wasn’t much of a standout either.
For instance, the music by Alan Menken, as well as the songs, were a 50/50.
Song-wise, the brand new musical numbers the film featured, especially “Evermore” & “Days in the Sun”, were the ones that I thought had a lot of life stored in them. Each of the new songs were fun to listen to in their own way, and it was clear that genuine thought was put into them. But, the remakes of the old songs, such as “Be Our Guest” & “Belle”, were the complete opposite. Compared to the animated film’s versions, the live-action renditions of the original songs were cringy and time consumingly slow. Something about the pacing of the music, and the way the performers sang them, just didn’t click.
As for the score, it was generally so-so. The regular music largely sounded like I was listening to how they were composed in the animated version all over again, so there wasn’t anything particularly new about it.
Similarly, the direction by Bill Condon, and the screenplay by Stephen Chbosky & Evan Spiliotopoulos, were relatively bland.
Before I watched this movie, I previously saw Condon’s work as director of Ian McKellen’s “Mr. Holmes”, and I thought he did an amazing job helming that movie. With the live-action “Beauty and the Beast”, though…I thought he did fine, but I also didn’t think it was one of his best works either.
Compared to the original film, the action sequences came across as sluggish and less lively. The wolf attacks were generally uneventful, and the fight scene of the villagers vs the castle residents was neither fun or engaging. Also, the background sets weren’t the most impressive I ever saw. The castle and village in particular looked like they were props for a high school play!
On the bright side, though, the cinematography was terrific. It helped everything be absolutely beautiful to look at, and it gave a sense of something very natural too.
Regardless of the flaws, I don’t particularly blame Condon for any of this. I think the main problem regarding Condon’s direction was that he was simply held back by a script that wasn’t giving him much creative freedom or room to work with.
From the very start, I could tell that the overall story for this remake was too excessively similar to the animated version’s concept, particularly because it wasn’t able to make something of itself instead of seeming like some carbon copy. It was neither ground-breakingly emotional, nor did it provide many laughs. I did think that the most interesting moment came with the book where you could travel anywhere in the world, as well as the backstory about Belle’s mother and what happened to her. But even then…the film itself hardly made any effort to stand apart.
Likewise, the performances of the cast, characters, and character development were elements I had mixed feelings towards.
Contrary to how many people commended the performances of Emma Watson as Belle and Luke Evans as Gaston, I personally felt that they gave perhaps the most lackluster of the live-action portrayals.
True, they definitely looked their parts, but their portrayals didn’t seem natural either. It looked like that because their characters are so highly renowned, they just weren’t able to perform without looking like the pressure of being their characters & living up to the legacies they created was too great. Not to mention Belle and Gaston were the least interesting characters in this movie, especially compared to the animated version, and their developments came across as predictable and far from intriguing.
Plus, with the exception of Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, none of the cast made their roles French enough for the town and time period the story takes place in.
The incorporation of African-American cast members and characters also didn’t feel right. I’m not being racist or anything, it’s just...when you look in your own history books, you’ll find that the people of a certain ethnicity, like African-Americans, Spanish, and Asians, did not become prevalent until much later than the time period the movie takes place in. I found that to be an example of being too unnecessarily politically correct, and when used at the wrong time, it gives inaccuracy to the setting and culture of a story.
However, I didn’t think every performer was terrible. As I likely said, Ewan McGregor portrayed Lumiere perfectly, and Kevin Kline...he gave his portrayal and character of Maurice a sense of innocence, tenderness, and warmth, and he took his role on like a pro compared to Watson & Evans.
Josh Gad, who portrays Lefou, was also quite the eye-catcher. Admittedly, his character did have a slight guy crush on Gaston, but really, he’s not inherently gay. Even though Gad obviously kept his American accent, he was actually really fun to watch. He had the best comedic-timings out of everyone, and the singing chops he gave for every song he was in were extremely well-done. In addition to this, I thought Gad and the filmmakers did an excellent job at making LeFou more three-dimensional compared to his animated counterpart, and his character development was deeply spot-on.
But, the real star of the movie comes from the guy who played the Beast himself: Dan Stevens.
The performance & voice he gave the character, as well as the makeup and motion capture used on him, made the Beast so lifelike and alive. Every moment with him on the screen also makes things worthwhile, because he gives off such strength & emotion into the role. Compared to Belle, the Beast’s character development was executed with such splendor, and he was definitely the most three-dimensional out of everyone.
In the end, though, “Beauty and the Beast (2017)” is sadly the first live-action remake by Disney that I consider to be unimpressive. The intentions are there, and the people involved clearly gave their very best, but it hardly offers anything even remotely new or significant.
So, I rate “Beauty and the Beast (2017)” 2½ out of five stars.
In the future, I will likely be presenting more modified versions of certain reviews I made years before. Some may be ones I'd also gain a difference of opinion on as I modify the reviews, others probably not.
But, I'll definitely be giving a reconstructed version of my review on the classic animated version of "Beauty and the Beast" film. I'll even reward the film with a rewatch in preparation.
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