Movie Review: Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Beauty and the Beast has big shoes to fill - the 1991 Disney animated version is beloved by audiences worldwide. Luckily, Disney brings the magic once again with this live-action adaptation, aided by a superb cast.

The movie starts by introducing us to the prince (Dan Stevens) and his lavish castle lifestyle. He's in the midst of throwing a masquerade ball when an old woman appears at his doorstep, begging for charity. He laughs at the woman and denies her food or shelter; it's then revealed that she's an enchantress. She turns the prince into the Beast, and his household staff into objects, and then leaves him the rose she originally brought, as a reminder. Once the rose loses all of its petals, too, the staff will become inanimate; if the Beast falls in love with a woman before then, though, and his feelings are reciprocated, with a kiss, then the curse will be broken.

Meanwhile, in a provincial life nearby, Belle (Emma Watson) is going about her daily routine, including picking up another book to read. Her father, Maurice (Kevin Kline), is leaving to go on a short trip, but he promises her a rose upon his return. He stumbles upon the Beast's castle, and is about to leave; however, he remembers his promise and grabs a white rose from the Beast's garden, which infuriates the Beast. Belle senses something is wrong, and visits the castle to retrieve her father; where she ends up trading his capture for her own.

What happens next is a tale as old as time, of course, and moviegoers familiar with the 1991 version won't need a full recap. Emma Watson is captivating as Belle, and the supporting cast is great too - you'll recognize many A-lister names as the voice cast, for the Beast's household (Stanley Tucci, Emma Thompson, Ewan McGregor, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, to name just a smattering), and both Luke Evans and Josh Gad are great as Gaston and LeFou; Gaston is definitely a Joey Donner type here, and he's definitely in love with himself.Read more »