Twenty-six years ago, Beauty and the Beast was the first movie that I remember seeing during my birth. At first, I was quite concerned that despite the enchanting trailers promising to be what made the 1991 version a Disney masterpiece, it was said that neither were the characters living up to the original selves through acting and singing and that politically-forced themes such as feminism and a gay character almost hurt the latest live-action film of the "tale as old as time" based on the initial 68% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I was hoping that it would be in the 80-90% range like 2015's Cinderella and last year's The Jungle Book. However, as I look up on the early reviews on Facebook and learning that it was the "fastest-selling family film on Fandango" and the box office projections being $120-150 million or more, as well as listening to the memorable songs on the soundtrack that was already up on iTunes and YouTube, I was now starting to feel confident that it might be the Disney film worth being brought to life through live-action scenes and CGI-animation the same way as my other favorite childhood Disney classic The Jungle Book. Today, I finally got to see it at AMC Tysons Corner with mom and dad and what I have to say is "wow!" Sure that the animated film is way more than popular than the one that I've been waiting to see since last year, but at least it still retained the same story without changing it so much like what Maleficent did, despite not keeping parts that we were so used to!
Emma Watson, my celebrity crush from Harry Potter, is just so stunningly beautiful as the main heroine Belle no matter what others say about her "wooden acting" or her "autotuned singing." While different from Paige O'Hara's Belle character, Emma Watson proved me right by making Belle such a brave and strong girl and was actually able to smile in some situations that really cheered her up even when being held prisoner by the Beast in the enchanted castle! Aside from the so-called uncanny valley of the motion-capture facial look, Dan Stevens really did an outstanding job making the Beast more tragically human on the outside despite his monstrous appearance and for his song "Evermore" when he regretfully allowed Belle to head to town to save her father. The best part are the enchanted objects that were also cursed by a spell that turned the Prince into a horrible Beast: Lumiere (Ewan McGregor), Cogsworth (Ian McKellen), Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson), and Chip (newcomer Nathan Mack)! The part where Lumiere sings "Be Our Guest" was just as visually amazing, no maybe even more, than the animated version, and really demonstrated Ewan McGregor's singing ability! But I was more amazed with Emma Thompson's Beauty and the Beast song during Belle and the Beast's ballroom dance, which was on par with Angela Lansbury! I only wished that the Ariana Grande/John Legend version of that timeless song is more like how it sounded in the second trailer 2 months ago, which while they had talent, can't outmatch Celine Dion (was brought back for the newly-written "How Does the Moment Last Forever?" song) and Peabo Bryson's! Luke Evans and Josh Gad have also proven to be great as Gaston and LeFou, as does Kevin Kline's Maurice who was actually able to stand up to himself despite being deemed by the village townsfolk as insane for raving about the Beast! I also like that there was some depth in Belle and the Beast's backstories, along with the Enchantress' expanded role as a mysterious woman named "Agathe"!
After seeing the bloody but tearful Wolverine swan song Logan with my dad two weeks ago, maybe 2017 might be off to a good start even while I was getting to complete my web design and advanced painting assignments from George Mason and trying to apply for job internships by meeting with my office counselors to discuss my possible job recommendations. I was glad that flaws aside, this year's Beauty and the Beast was finally able to live up to my expectations that it really was as the Rotten Tomatoes consensus would say, "a faithful yet fresh retelling that honors its beloved source material."
The second most anticipated film that I'm now looking forward to see, while anxious for a possible miracle to cleanse my stress and concerns, is Michael Bay's Transformers: The Last Knight. I am happy that the latest Beauty and the Beast movie is an enchanting and charming experience in my spring break! If only my sister Christine could have seen that! Thank you Disney, Bill Condon (you are forgiven for The Twilight Saga's Breaking Dawn Pts 1-2), and the rest of the cast for bringing the timeless romantic fairy tale story to life!
