Beauty and the Beast…a review by two 25-year old man children

This week we’re reviewing Beauty and the Beast for our joint review.

Cody: Since you previously mentioned this in your article — why do you think this film got such average scores?

Sam: For whatever reason the media and critics seemed to have some sort of agenda against this movie early on. It’s hard to tell why to be honest. The gay scene thing made a big commotion but was completely overblown. The media leans way left anyway so that would just make them review it higher. It’s actually kind of baffling. It almost has to be treasuring a classic so much that this wasn’t even given a chance.

I know Jungle Book kicked off the trend last year and that you enjoy the original but in terms of prestige it’s not in the same stratosphere. This isn’t a perfect movie by any means but it was absolutely a worthy adaptation and actually did a great job fixing some of the plot holes from the animated version.

Cody: Yeah, we were both dumbfounded after finding out how low of a score it was getting. It’s easily the best live adaptation of a movie that I’ve seen. Speaking of Lefou— I honestly believe they made him better. He was way more comical and layered character. What was some of the key takeaways from this adaptation?

Sam: I think the biggest one is that it shows Disney has the ability to recreate the magic of their timeless animated classics. For as much as I’ve bitched about the response to the movie I don’t want that to overshadow the fact that this was an incredible movie and that should be the main takeaway from this review.

I’ve never really had an opinion on Emma Watson either way until now even as a big fan of Harry Potter. Now I’m infatuated with her. She was absolutely enchanting (great word I’m stealing from Matt here) and my lord can she sing. I don’t think she showed a ton of acting range (she didn’t have to for the most part) but she was so enjoyable to watch and just had this aura or presence about her throughout the entire film. I thought she did a wonderful job.

I’d actually go as far as to say most of the characters were done better here than in the original. Gaston was actually a cruel and menacing villain. Lefou had a character arc. Belle’s father was a significantly more well thought-out character and it made him far more interesting. They gave reasoning for the behavior of the Beast. I don’t know why these additions (or improvements really) aren’t getting more attention.

Cody: Yes! That’s something they did so well. They answered all of the little questions the animated movie might’ve left you with (i.e. the weather example from my TBT review). Emma Watson was absolutely gorgeous. I haven’t been this infatuated with her since Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I was left with the hopes of her father stumbling across my apartment complex so I could keep him prisoner until she comes to switch places.

I also agree with the portrayal of Gaston. He did way more in this film to make himself more villainous as well. Dan Stevens truly made this beast a likable character. His development from the angry beast to the sweet and loving one seemed rushed — but still good. I think my biggest surprise came with the singing from the actors. When I began watching the animated movie, I heard Belle’s (Paige O’hara) voice, and thought Emma may have a hard time topping it. Yet she matched it and made it her own.

And all of these songs were stuck in my head for the entire next day after viewing it. There were a few dull ones here and there (mostly the few newer ones). But I can also see why they were added. It was good filler — and some even explained a few unanswered questions.

Sam: The classic songs were all replicated really well. No joke I had goosebumps at least three times during the movie and two were doing the songs. I can’t stress how well they were done. My main gripes were the wolves and riot scenes being a little underwhelming, the new songs were just okay (though “Evermore” was very good) and the romance still felt rushed. Outside of that I was completely satisfied with this film. The characters, songs, settings and heart all matched or exceeded my expectations.

As a 25 year old male I shouldn’t be this giddy about a live action Disney movie but I’m 100% going to see this again this weekend. I had little to no excitement for Aladdin or Lion King coming out here in the next few years but with how much I enjoyed this I may have to rethink that approach.

Cody: The romance was a little rushed. Less than the animated movie — but they probably could’ve spent more time building it up. There were a few scenes I think they could’ve cut to make this possible. Disney is definitely on the right track with these live adaptations though. They keep getting better. I hope for continued success for these next few films. I’d give Beauty and the Beast an 8.9/10 and Emma Watson a kiss if I could.

Sam: I’ll second that Emma Watson kiss and raise you with an overall score of 9.0.

This upcoming week we’ve got three new reviews coming out: The Belko Experiment, Power Rangers, and Life. Then we’ll wrap things up with a podcast discussing all of the films we saw in March.