BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017) REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS* 

There has been an increase in live-action adaptations of Disney's classic animated films. The majority of them have succeeded in being just as entertaining and remaining faithful to the original source. Personally, my favourites include Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent, Cinderella and, most recently, The Jungle Book. This lead to high expectations for the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast.

Out of all the animated films Disney has released, Beauty and the Beast is one of their most popular. It was the first ever animated film to win an award for Best Motion Picture at the 1992 Golden Globes. At the Academy Awards the same year, it won two Oscars for Best Music, Original Song and Best Music, Original Score. Because of this, it went on to become one of Disney's most successful films and it is still regarded as a masterpiece over twenty years later. 

Recreating one of Disney's most beloved animated films must have been an incredibly challenging task but, nevertheless, the cast and crew have worked hard and created a live-action feature film that lives up to expectations and manages to be just as enchanting as the original.

After being placed under a spell after revealing his selfish personality to an Enchantress (Hattie Morahan) in disguise, the Prince (Dan Stevens), now a hideous-looking Beast, must find love again before the final petal from an enchanted rose falls. The years past and the Beast loses hope. Meanwhile, a young woman, Belle (Emma Watson), is dissatisfied with her life in a small village in France due to her fellow villagers thinking that she's odd. However, there's one man who is determined to win her affections and that's Gaston (Luke Evans). Because of his narcissistic personality, Belle couldn't be less interested. After her father, Maurice (Kevin Kline) leaves the village to go to a market, he soon loses his way and becomes trapped in the Beast's enchanted castle. This leads to Belle finding him and taking his place. Could Belle be the one to help break the spell that's been placed on the castle?

This live-action version of Beauty and the Beast was directed by Bill Condon who is best remembered for directing the Academy Award-winning musical, Dreamgirls, in 2006 and he also wrote the screenplay for the 2002 musical, Chicago. This is what makes him a good choice to help bring the classic 1991 animated film to life.  Fortunately, he has succeeded. Beauty and the Beast can go up alongside Cinderella and The Jungle Book as one of the best live-action adaptations. 

The performances are all solid and every actor gives a strong performance as their characters. Watson makes Belle a brave and independent individual. In this remake, there is more to Belle and we see that she has a knack for inventing things and proves to be useful in certain situations. Unlike in the original animation, we learn more about Belle, her childhood and what happened to her mother, giving her more background. 

Likewise with the Beast who also had similar traumas as a young child. Stevens, who is best known for appearing in the periodic drama series Downton Abbey, is almost unrecognisable as the Beast. He brings a softer side to the character and we feel more sympathetic towards him, especially when he's singing Evermore, which is one of the new songs that is featured in this live-action remake. In the beginning, we clearly see that he is selfish but he soon develops a more kinder personality and learns that true beauty is on the inside. Both Watson and Stevens have great chemistry together and the film is at its best when the two are developing their romantic relationship which is shown in the Something There montage.

As the villain of the film, Evans is the perfect choice for Gaston. Despite his good looks, he is a true monster on the inside and, over the course of the film, we despise him more and more. Gaston and his friend, LeFou (Josh Gad), bring most of the comic relief and the pair make a great rendition of Gaston's titular song. This scene is the film's most energetic and feature some strong choreography. Regarding Gad's character, there has been some controversy as, in the final dance sequence, LeFou dances with another male. However, this scene is pretty much blink-and-you'll-miss-it. Fortunately, I did see it and I think that it's great that Disney is finally including a wider range of relationships in their films. This is also the first Disney film to feature two interracial relationships: Lumiere (Ewan McGregor) is married to Plumette (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Cadenza's (Stanley Tucci) wife is Madame de Garderobe. By having a more diverse cast and featuring wider relationships, this will hopefully lead to a more accepting society.

The voices of the enchanted objects are all well-chosen. As Lumiere, the charming candelabra, McGregor admitted to struggling with the French accent, at first, and had to re-record his dialogue. Fortunately, he managed to master it and his rendition of Be Our Guest is just as good as the original sequence. The computer-generated visuals are at their most impressive here and the entire screen is filled with a wide range of bright colours as the kitchenware serves Belle her dinner. 

As the serious clock, Cogsworth, Ian McKellan is a great choice. Throughout the film, we see plenty of Cogsworth and Lumiere's disagreements which add to the humour. Emma Thompson is perfectly sweet as the teacup, Mrs. Potts, and makes her sound like a true motherly figure. Overall, there's not a bad performance to be found in this star-studded cast.

The ballroom dance was the big highlight of the original animation so this must've been an incredibly daunting task for both Watson and Stevens to recreate. Fortunately, with Thompson singing the titular song, this dance sequence manages to capture the beauty of the scene.

As a child, I loved watching the original Beauty and the Beast and I was fortunate enough to see the stage adaptation twice. This lead me to having high expectations for this live-action remake and I wasn't disappointed. I think that this is the perfect film to watch if you loved the original as it increases the feeling of nostalgia. Children of all ages will enjoy this too and find the characters, especially the enchanted objects, really entertaining. 

Overall, with an enchanting cast, beautifully crafted songs, and a painterly eye for detail, Beauty and the Beast offers a faithful yet fresh retelling that honors its beloved source material.

8/10