Review of Beauty and the Beast (2017) by Brian S — 22 May 2017

Disney's 2017 live-action remake of the 1991 classic Beauty and the Beast offers exactly what one would expect with updating such a revered film; acquire an all-star ensemble cast, have plenty of visual extravagance that will be tied together with fine, if handicapped, directing offering a nostalgic experience that nonetheless never quite manages what made the original so special.

Directed by Bill Condon (who wrote the screenplay for 2002s Chicago and directed 2006s Dreamgirls-signifying he has a knack for musicals), the film has an AAA quality on the surface and ticks the right boxes for what a live-action Beauty and the Beast should feel (and sound) like.

Where the original allowed the viewer to suspend disbelief a tad more (as it was animation), Condon's use of CG to animate the beast takes time getting used to (especially when he sings) and the decision to more or less do a shot-for-shot remake of the original signifies how strong that first film was, but despite that this update to the material still serves as a nice compliment to the 1991 film and is a solid effort at bringing Beauty and the Beast into three dimensions.