Review of Beauty and the Beast (2017) by James S — 24 Apr 2017

The original Beauty and the Beast is considered one of the greatest animated films Disney has ever made. This adaptation rides high on that nostalgia, delivering on the story we love, with some extra bonus stuff thrown in to make sure we hit that feature-length runtime.

I will spare you the story, because you almost certainly know it. I really like how little it deviates from the original. The songs are all there, the characters are well-realized, even many of the shots are the same. The relationship between Belle and her father is done very well, as is the relationship between her and the Beast.

There are a couple of new songs to pad the runtime. While they are well-performed, I don't know if it makes the move flow as easily as it could. I did enjoy the opening scene, fleshing out what was only told in stained glass in the original. Also, some of the songs were reworked to make them longer, which made some of the lyrics and editing less tight.

There's a mixed bag of acting here. Emma Watson is great, but her singing voice leaves something to be desired. I really enjoyed Dan Stevens as Beast. Kevin Kline is also great as Maurice. While Luke Evans gives his all as Gaston, I disagree with the decisions they made (he should have been a bass, not a tenor). Josh Gad is well-cast as LeFou. Ewan McGregor and Ian McKellen play off each other very well as Lumiere and Cogsworth.

Nostalgia is definitely a main reason why I enjoyed this. However, nostalgia for a great film still makes a memorable experience, even if it can't possibly live up to the magic of the original.