Review of Beauty and the Beast (2017) by Spangle — 21 Mar 2017

Having never seen the original animated film, or at least not remembering having seen it, my expectations were not too high for Beauty and the Beast. Do not get me wrong, I never thought it would be bad. But, I was never comparing it to some childhood classic that filled me with nostalgia every time I thought of watching the film. Instead, I saw this film in a vacuum. Unfortunately, it is still a mixed bag. At times, you can feel that fairy tale magic that is promised. Other moments provide sensory overload or are complete filler and wholly unnecessary. The end result is a potion that both enchants and befuddles in near equal measure.

From its very first frame, Beauty and the Beast shows its tedious footing between grating and magical. Its opening sequence of the Beast/Prince Charming (Dan Stevens) getting cursed by an enchantress has both incredible special effects and preposterous make-up. It is well applied, but it seems too exuberant and practically flamboyant with how much make-up the Prince is wearing to his party. That said, the scene still imbues the sense of mystery and magic necessary for the film and its immediate follow-up, the performance of the song "Belle", really hits the mark. Emma Watson's singing is lovely as Belle as she goes through her small French village and the various villagers express their reservations about Belle and her quirky bookworm behavior. It is a real charmer and is a song that gets the proceedings off to a terrific musical beginning, quickly displaying why this film's music is beloved by so many.

Unfortunately, the film then takes some poor turns. In its performance of "Gaston", a loud and incredibly well-choreographed musical number mostly performed by LeFou (Josh Gad), Gaston's (Luke Evans) closest companion, the film hits a real sour note. The song is simply too much. Compared to the more restrained staging of "Belle", "Gaston" is over-the-top and further maligned by an awful joke about the spelling of his name and LeFou's illiteracy. At this point, I was wondering if it was a mistake and the film would not be nearly as good as hoped. These fears were realized when we reach the Prince's castle. While the banter between Lumiere (Ewan McGregor) and Cogsworth (Ian McKellen) was immediately appealing, the arrival at the castle is marked by a few bad moments. One, when Belle is shown her room and the camera does a whip pan. Early in the film, during the performance of "Belle", I noticed some quick camera movements that immediately bothered my eyes. However, I had ignored them because I figured that I was simply a bit tired. Sadly, this eye shattering whip only served to make my strained eyes scream out in anguish. My eyes were not treated kindly in the follow-up to this either with the performance of "Be Our Guest". While the song is fine, the glowing sensory overload that ensues on the dinner table is just far too much. It had bright lights and excitement to try and attract kids to the joy on screen, but it felt far too hollow and bombastic to actually work in any effective way.

Fortunately, the film picks up considerably at this point as it begins to focus on the romance between the Beast and Belle. This is a romance that would charm warmth in the coldest and blackest of hearts. Via songs such as "Something There", "Beauty and the Beast", and "Evermore", the film strikes a heart warmingly romantic tone that rewards viewers with the magic of a fairy tale, terrific songs, and an awe-inducing romance. Together, Watson and Stevens have terrific chemistry in these forms and work incredibly well with one another. Small moments of them simply walking into a library or over a bridge are moving, poetic, and achingly romantic. The film has so much heart, it nearly swells and boils over. Now, these sequences do have their flaws. Though the visual effects of the film are impeccable, especially with Belle's dress - a real highlight of these live-action remakes have been the dresses, as the realization of Cinderella's ball gown with the accompanying visual effects is still stunning to me - and the beast is also incredibly well-realized. That said, there are still issues with the effects. On the bridge, while romantic, it is clear it is occurring in front of a green screen. There are other moments scattered throughout that are unfortunately stricken by shaky visual effects. Fortunately, the whole romance of them falling in love is so well-written and realized, it is hard to deny the film's magic. Accented by charming turns by Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, and Emma Thompson as some of the Beast's cursed helpers, the film strikes a good balance between the more romantic elements and the comedic elements.