Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favorite movies, and growing up I dreamed of being like my favorite princess, Belle. So when I heard a live action remake of the film was being made, I was super excited! As a hardcore fan of the 1991 animated version, I went into the new version expecting I would be a little disappointed, but I wasn’t. This new movie is a fantastic retelling of the “tale as old as time” we’ve all grown to love and immediately transports the viewer to Belle’s small French village.
From the outset, one thing this film does really well is it provides a clearer explanation of the Beast’s backstory. This adds a bit of content to the start of the film that differs from the original, but it’s content I think gives the viewer a better understanding of why the Beast is the way he is and why the villagers have forgotten all about the royal family that lives just a short horse ride from their town.
The opening number sets the tone for the whole movie, so luckily it was high-energy and well conceived and performed. I wasn’t sure how Emma Watson would do as Belle, but within a few minutes she had me convinced she was indeed the beautiful, bookish princess I always admired. Amidst all the craziness of the opening number, Gaston (Luke Evans) and LeFou (Josh Gad) really stole the show and continued throughout the movie to both embody and bring new life to their roles. Their song, “Gaston,” was my favorite number of the remake. It was lively, exciting and made it feel like you were right in the tavern with them!
Dan Stevens did a great job as the Beast, and his CGI face was really expressive and realistic (if one can imagine a giant animal/man beast as realistic). Of the three new songs created for the remake, the Beast’s solo, “Evermore,” was the most passionately performed and felt the most necessary to the plot. The other new songs were good, albeit unnecessary.
The musical numbers in general were impressive, and where I worried they might fall flat in a live action setting, they far exceeded my expectations. My toes were tapping the whole time! The songs were the same as their original versions for the most part, with slight changes to make this movie unique.
Overall, Beauty and the Beast was exciting, funny, visually stunning and altogether excellent. Whether you’re a fan of the original or not, you will feel enchanted by this gorgeous remake of the classic tale. If you’re in need of a movie to check out, you may find this remake of Beauty and the Beast has a little something there that wasn’t there before.