As has been the case with many reboots or sequels over the
last couple of years, Disney’s live-action Beauty
& the Beast was itself no stranger to controversy. The scrutiny began
when it was announced that Emma Watson – famous of course for her role as
Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies
– was cast as the beloved Belle; the not-so-villagey village girl fated to fall
in love with a beastly prince in a castle not so far away.
Whilst Emma Watson’s fan-base is without a doubt rather enormous, the size of her singing talent had yet to be seen – or heard – and when soundbites of her performing renditions of the classic sing-alongs from the timeless 1991 animated film emerged, she proved that her voice lacked a certain je ne c’est quoi, or beauty.
Whilst Emma Watson’s fan-base is without a doubt rather enormous, the size of her singing talent had yet to be seen – or heard – and when soundbites of her performing renditions of the classic sing-alongs from the timeless 1991 animated film emerged, she proved that her voice lacked a certain je ne c’est quoi, or beauty.
That said, the trailer still managed to capture the heart of
the original film, boasting an epic score version of the classic theme
song – even if it was to then be butchered by John Legend and Ariana Grande in
the film’s accompanying chart single, as well as showing off a new look – albeit slightly
weird and creepy – to all the CGI-animated-but-not-quite-as-animated-as-before,
animated-in-movement-but-otherwise-inanimate household objects, adding to that a
motion-capture version of Beast himself, played by Dan Stevens (no, not me –
although I may bear some resemblance after my three-month trip ends).
Sadly, the charm and magic end just there. While there is a
sense of nostalgia during the film’s first half hour or so, by the end of its
two-hour-plus mark there's simply no denying that the film – mainly through
its songs that have been stretched to the point of snapping – has been beefed up purely
for the sake of hitting said-runtime. Ultimately, it’s the songs that weigh the
film down, with extra sing-alongs thrown in in an obvious attempt to make the
film appear more epic. Perhaps they were taken from the Broadway musical, but then
I’ve never seen it. Whatever the reason, the film comes off as anything but
epic, proving once again that less is always more.
There are, however, some blatant attempts to correct the three
blundering mistakes of the original: a young-boy-turned-beast clawed a portrait
of himself as an adult; the villagers
inexplicably weren’t aware of a castle within walking distance that was lived
in by a prince – beast or not; and while winter came and went for both Belle
and Beast, very little time seemingly passed back in the village during which
her father Maurice painstakingly tried to convince Gaston and the others that
his daughter was in danger. This time, the prince is transformed whilst he is an adult and not a young boy, evidently for
the sake of the film maintaining the iconic portrait-slashing scene; upon placing an enchantment on the prince and his servants, the witch also erases the memories of all the villagers, thereby rendering them unaware as to the existence of the castle; and
lastly, also part of the enchantment is a perpetual winter that dominates only
the castle’s vicinity which, again, is clearly for the sake of the film keeping
the original’s beloved snowball fight. These fixes may add a little bit more credibility to the film, but there are also some contrived backstories to both Belle and Beast, which give the story an unnatural feel, adding nothing to the overall plot.
As for the film’s leads themselves, there’s very little to
be desired. While Luke Evans nails Gaston like he was born to play him, both
Belle and Beast – along with their magical friends from Lumiere to Cogsworth –
are about as charming as a burnt-out candle or an empty pot of tea. There are
of course many reasons why it’s okay to have both Belle and Beast talk in English
accents as opposed to American ones, but the Beast just doesn’t sound quite right, nor does he look quite right either, with his face seemingly rushed and lacking conviction and humanity, making him come across as quite
creepy and cartoonish – even more so than his servants. And while the message
of femininity throughout the film is both clear and deliberate and of course
just and welcome, Belle barely flinches at a pack of wolves who want to tear
her to shreds, or even a hulking beast who has taken her hostage and has, for all
she knows, killed her father, rendering her portrayal of a strong female both
unrealistic and, ahem, cartoonish.
Sadly, this unwarranted live-action remake of one your most
beloved Disney classics fails to realise both its ambition and its potential,
consequently coming off as a corny costume drama that’s bursting at the seams
with once-brilliant but now ill-executed sing-alongs and a mediocre performance
from Watson at best, and barely holds a candle to the original.
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