Good Morning Lovelies,

Friday last week saw the release of Beauty and the Beast in cinemas at last. Taking the classic 90s animation to the big screen in a live-action version, director Bill Condon had to deliver when it came to me as an audience member. As my favourite Disney film, I will admit that I have never been sure about how I feel towards the film. But I wasn’t going to miss it for anything and thanks to IMAX, I was kindly given tickets to catch the film at the weekend.

With added music and character backstories, the film takes the Disney animation and makes the beauty of the characters and France come to life. For those who haven’t seen it, the story begins with a young prince who is cursed by a witch after he refuses to help her, causing him to turn into a beast and those around him into furniture.

Fast forward and viewers are given their first look at Belle. Out casted by the village, Belle lives in a small and quiet home with her father, until Gaston sets his eyes on marrying her. With her father, out of town, Belle has to work hard to get him to leave her alone.

Until she is forced to rush into the woods and to a forbidden castle, where she replaces her father as the beast’s prisoner. Over time a romance builds and loves curse is given the chance to be broken, with the help from Lumiere the candlestick, Mrs Potts the teapot and Cogsworth, Lumiere’s partner in crime and helpful clock.

Taking on the lead roles, Emma Watson, Luke Evans and Dan Stevens, transform Beauty, Gaston and the Beast onto our cinema screens in an elegant manner. Watson takes the character and makes it her own, whilst Steven’s performance as the Beast has an incredible likeness to the classic animation. In fact, he is even more likable in this version I feel.

But, the real winner out of the three is Evans, who makes Gaston’s character seem so real and so perfect that there really is no one else I can now see in the role. Along with his fellow characters and actors. Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson, Josh Gad and Sir Ian McKellen continuously steal the spotlight from their leading figures, as they make the characters seem so familiar but with new added flare.

Gad is the perfect actor to make Le Fou real and his sexuality is explored with fun and interest, whilst McGregor gives Lumiere a new lease of life as the best candle stick in town. Thompson takes on one of the hardest roles to recreate (not many can beat or be like Angela Lansbury), but makes her own version of Mrs Potts, with a cute sidekick in Chip and a new husband figure. And McKellen just knows how to bring Cogsworth’s sass and dryness to life, both as a clock and when human again.

When all placed together in Condon’s mythical world, the animations and CGI effects are reflected with honest care and beauty. Every detail has been thought of and every moment has been give the attention it deserves. If you watch this in IMAX, there is also this amazing blast of powerful colour and gentle music placed within each scene.

And the music is not something that could be left behind, as the classic songs make for a sweet treat every time they are played. It is what makes the film a real winner and you often find yourself having to stop yourself from singing out loud. Especially if you are as big a fan as me.

There are several issues with the film though. Some of the new music within the film seems unnecessary and at times it all feels so over the top that it ruins the classic animation’s look (I felt this a lot during Be Our Guest). It also feels as though Watson isn’t given many lines within the film. She deserved more and both her character and the beasts should have had a lot more on-screen air time to build on their chemistry at times.

Both her backstory and the beasts could also have been given a little bit more time to be explained. Whilst we learn what happened to Belle’s mum and why the beast is the way he is, they seem like moments that are a glimpse and you miss them parts.

It would have been good to have had more explanations on them, especially the beasts. With many young audience members going to see the film, they could easily be scared or not fully able to understand what is happening.

Overall though, the, film is a glamourous live-action take on the film, with some amazing performances from all in the film. With the classic story being reproduced for a new audience, this film will make Beauty and the Beast fans for life. Yet, with a few mishaps and plot holes, the film misses out on being completely perfect.

And that is why I am giving it this beauty and beastly rating of…

4 Stars

Blog Soon,

Joey X

P.S. Thank you so much IMAX for sending me to see the film. I had a perfect time and it was amazing to see the newest Disney adventure in all its beauty.