Beauty & The Beast (2017) Film Review

There is a trend going on right now with Disney films, that they are redoing their animated classics in live-action – Alice In Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, The Jungle Book and now the latest in this trend Beauty And The Beast. I did not know what to expect of it because I had different reactions to them all. Alice In Wonderland is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, though I will admit Looking Glass was bad; Maleficent was a disappointment, I really wanted to like that one; I did not like Cinderella at all (watch Ever After instead); I thought I was going to hate The Jungle Book but I surprisingly enjoyed it. This one was going to be difficult for me because the 1991 Disney film Beauty And The Beast is one of my favourite films of all time.

So how do I feel this film? Honestly I spent the first half being pretty annoyed as it was just carbon copy with minor changes, but I just accepted it by the time I got to the second half and just pretended I was watching a play of the movie instead. But then I have to admit there was one really great scene that got me emotional towards the end. Not enough to make me love the film, in a way it highlights my biggest problem with the film, I’ll get to it later and don’t worry I won’t spoil it.

The majority of it is pretty much a copy of the 1991 film, they might as well have used the same storyboards. The problem though is not so much that it redoes the same scenes, it’s that they get lost in translation, not enough effort is put in to create the same feelings. The best example comes from my favourite scene in the 1991 film when Belle searches the forbidden west wing. It’s slow, it’s dark, we hear this creepy music and she hesitates, as she knows she shouldn’t be doing this. The place looks trashed and you can feel how dark it is especially when she walks into a table. When she sees the enchanted rose, she takes the glass off and tries to touch it. The Beast suddenly stops her and begins trashing more furniture and yells at her to get out. In the new film it goes too fast, she doesn’t hesitate at all to go in there and the creepy music is not used. She looks around for a second and then she sees the enchanted rose and merely touches the glass. The Beast sees her and accuses of tampering with it and shouts at her to get out. This is the moment that’s supposed to scare Belle out of the castle, in the original you understand why the Beast is angry as he personally warned her not to go there and she could’ve destroyed the rose. At the same time it’s genuinely frightening when he lashes out at her, of course she’d run out of there. After she runs out, you can see in his body language that he regrets what he had just done. Here however, she barely touches the glass and looks at the rose, there was nothing to indicate that she was going to tamper with it. Also there’s less understanding, as he did not warn her about the west wing, the servants did that this time. He also doesn’t lash out at her as hard, he just shouts and tells her to get out, that’s certainly no more hostile than there earlier encounters. This is just one of many examples of scenes that they copied with at least 50% less effort. I lost count over how many cut-to-blacks this film has.

Visually this film is really nice to look at. Many of the sets are well designed, the castle especially with all the little details. However the environments of the locations aren’t well explored that you notice at times that it’s shot on a sound stage. The CGI effects for the Beast is not that great, I don’t understand why they couldn’t use prosthetics, you could’ve saved legendary make-up artist Rick Baker from his early retirement. The best CGI goes to the animate objects, sure the designs were pretty creepy this time but I did buy them as genuine moving objects – the mechanics on the clocks look realistic and the teapot and cup look like real china. Be Our Guest was a visually stunning moment.

The acting all-round was more or less on the same level, they are great actors but the issue I have is that I’m always aware that they are playing the parts. I don’t see Belle in this film, I just see Emma Watson playing Belle in this film and it’s like that for everyone. It seems like all these big named actors were putting on performances for theatre instead of an actual film. It’s kind of bad that I think the characters in an animated film feel more like real people than the ones played by real people. I don’t care how much they expand on their backstories or how many additional character-building moments they are given; if they don’t act natural I’m not going to be invested in them. They’re never boring however, you can tell everyone had a lot of fun making this, so at times they share that enjoyment with you. The strongest performances are from Kevin Kline as Maurice and Josh Gad as Le Fou, I guess that helps that their characters are the most different from their animated counterparts, they're less goofy and are a little more realistic. The singing is not the greatest either, not Russell Crowe from Les Miserables or Peirce Brosnan from Mamma Mia levels of bad, but not good compared to the singing in the original. The best singing comes from Audra McDonald, whom is a soprano but she’s not given enough to sing.

In terms of what this added (again not to spoil the film), there are about four new songs added which were good I will admit, I could see these fitting into theatre productions quite well. There are some really good additional scenes like when Maurice and Belle work on a music box together and they mention her mother and a pretty unpleasant scene with Gaston and Maurice. There’s a scene that could’ve taken this film in a unique direction, unfortunately it doesn’t go anywhere and adds nothing except to try and expand on Belle’s past which kind of ruins the subtle moment she had with her father at the beginning. Then there is the big scene towards the end that made me tear up, it was a real heart-breaking scene. It was built up quite well and when it happens it lets it play out. Very clever and by far the best scene they did in this film. So why is the best scene it’s biggest problem? Because it’s a moment that does not involve Belle or the Beast and it made me realise I how much didn’t really care about them here. I love Belle and the Beast, they are awesome characters because in the original they are allowed to be characters. They have genuine emotions that you feel in all of their scenes and you feel their chemistry even in scenes without dialogue. Here despite being ‘more developed’ they feel still feel shallow, again it’s because they don’t feel like real people and their chemistry is non-existent.

I apologise that I keep making so many comparisons to the original but it’s very difficult not to. This film keeps reminding me of the original, it keeps redoing it but not as well with minor changes and additions that aren’t strong enough to let this film stand on it’s own merits. Honestly, this film only works for me as like seeing a stage theatre version of a film you like. In fact if you watch this film without seeing the original, you’d probably think you are watching a stylised film adaptation of a musical play like 2004’s Phantom Of The Opera. If you bare that in mind you’ll enjoy this just fine, it’s not bad by any means but it won’t stand the test of time. The 1991 movie however is a timeless classic.

Top 10 Buffy The Vampire Slayer Episodes

In celebration of the 20^th Anniversary since Buffy The Vampire Slayer debuted. Here’s a list of my personal favourite episodes.

10. The Wish

We love our ‘what-if’ stories, this presents us with what Sunnydale would be like if Buffy had never moved there. Not good: the Master would’ve escaped the Hellmouth and ruled the town; Willow and Xander would become vampires; Angel would be chained up like a pet and Buffy without her friends would be a bitter person without a care. What makes this clever is how unpredictable it is, e.g. since Cordelia made that wish we follow her in the alternate reality we’re thinking she’s going to be the hero, won’t spoil what happens I’ll just say that’s not the case. The alternate reality is strong enough that it could’ve lasted several episodes, maybe the current graphic novels could do something with it.

9. Buffy vs. Dracula

The title says it all! The perfect way to start off what is arguably the most epic season. Full of countless nods to the Dracula story, like the shape shifting, the three brides, Giles’ role is similar to Jonathon Harker and Xander becomes Renfield. The purpose of Dracula’s appearance is for Buffy to start questioning her identity as a slayer which is explored throughout the season. Interesting fact: Rudolf Martin who plays Dracula in this episode also played the role in TV movie Dark Prince: The True Story Of Dracula that same year.

8. Grave

The season 6 finale and the conclusion to the epic Dark Willow saga. The main arc of the season is about the gang going on a dark path, there were villains but the true Big Bad was themselves, which was represented in Dark Willow. So how she is motivated to destroy the world from pain not just her own but other peoples pain is a reflection of someone who self-destructive. And she can't be defeated by violence or power, which just makes it worse, but by love and friendship.

7. The Body

If I were a professional critic I would put this at Number 1, not just on a Buffy list but a Best TV Episodes of All Time list. This is a realistic portrayal of grief, every bit of raw emotion is brilliantly portrayed. Uncomfortable atmospheres created from unusual camera angles, colour filters, everyday sounds either in focus or muted and an Emmy-worthy performance by Sarah Michelle Gellar. The only reason I don’t rank it as high, is that it’s too good at portraying grief that I find it very difficult to watch.

6. Normal Again

This is another alternate reality episode, one that makes us question what is real. Buffy keeps slipping into an alternate reality where she’s in a mental institution. She is now questioning what is her reality - is she really living in a world of monsters and superpowers or is she mentally ill and imagining it all? The way the supposed real world makes references to events in previous episodes is very well done and just adds to the question. Even the ending still leaves you hanging over which is the real world.

5. The Gift

The 100^th episode and the season 5 finale. It’s ironic how this celebrates Buffy since it’s not the happiest episode. But it is however the epic payoff that has been building up for a very long time. The gang have been fighting an unwinnable battle all season and in this finale you feel how much of a toll it has taken on them. Yet as a team they are still able to pull together with a pretty clever plan for the final showdown. In the end Buffy discovers her ‘gift’, which leads to pretty devastating conclusion, which in return proves what a true hero she is.

4. Hush

By far the most spine-tingling episode, with the creepy floating Gentlemen and that eerie soundtrack. The cast are required to play the roles mute for about 70% of the episode, the way they emote with their faces and body language is impressive. The various ways they communicate with each other is clever and hilarious.

3. Conversations With Dead People

The anthology episode where there are four stories that don’t intertwine. Each has a different writer, so they each have a different feeling and connect as loosely as possible. Buffy’s story was the most fun as fights as well as having a meaningful conversation with a vampire who used be an old classmate played the hilarious Jonathon Woodward.

2. Becoming

Part 1 is full of excellent flashbacks to Buffy and Angel’s origins. But it’s Part 2 that hits all the right cores. Spike aiding Buffy against Angelus was very clever without making him act out of character. Joyce finally discovering that Buffy is a slayer is incredibly realistic, a clear allegory to a parent realising their child is. The final fight with Buffy and Angel is hugely entertaining and emotional.

1. Once More With Feeling

I know this tops a lot of lists, sorry to be so predictable. However I don’t claim to be a fan of musicals, to me it’s the story that comes first not the songs. This could’ve easily been a throwaway episode with songs added just for viewership, but it’s not. It very much belongs in the story arc of the season, you see as the season starts the characters are heading on dark paths and this episode gets that ball rolling. As the main characters start to sing their truths are revealed, their secrets, fears, resentments and betrayals. And not all is resolved, the episode ends with them realising they can’t go back to normal and they don’t know where to go forward. The songs are well written, with multiple layers that help define the characters complex personalities and thoughts. Each song has a different feeling that they belong in different genres e.g. Spike’s “Rest in Peace” is rock, while Xander and Anya’s duet is 50s style theatre. All the cast deliver great in the songs, especially Amber Benson. The songs are so great I downloaded them from iTunes, I still enjoy listening to them.

To make it an even 20, here are 10 of my honourable mentions:

Earshot

Dead Things

Innocence

Restless

Chosen

Tabula Rasa

Graduation Day

Afterlife

Fool For Love
Passion

The Fall Review

This is one the most compelling crime shows I have seen in long time. This is a pretty realistic show that has two parallel plot lines of good and evil. 

On the good side is Stella Gibson a senior investigating officer tasked to investigate a murder, she's an incredibly capable officer, on the other hand she’s a pretty cold character, lives alone and sleeps with her colleagues without the care if they’re married or not. 

On the bad side is Paul Spector a serial killer targeting young professional brunette women and poses their bodies sexily, on the flip side he's a devoted family man with a wife and two children and works as a grievance councillor. 

The way these two characters contrast each other is perfect, the differences stand out but it’s their similarities you feel; they are hunters and they are obsessive. They are rarely onscreen together which doesn’t matter because their obsession to learn about each other is fascinating that when they are finally onscreen together it feels well earned. Gibson and Spector are like the real-life version of the yin-yang, the black and white circle that represents two sides of a whole with a dot on each side that represent that each side has a little of each other in them.

The theme is established in the first bits of dialogue comes from one Paul’s victims where she talks about the differences between needs and desires. Like food, water and air is what we need but love, recognition and praise is what we desire. When she’s asked if sex is a need or a desire, she says “Well, both if you’re doing right”. The show essentially explores the main characters desires that they don’t distinguish it from needs, especially their personal sexual desires; Stella desires to sleep with her colleagues and seeing a case to the end and Paul killing the women with the ritual he applies is his sexual desire.

Gillian Anderson is excellent as Stella, very convincing as a high-powered London detective, it’s very easy to forget that she’s actually American. Since her character is usually stone-faced and cold, the role requires her to give a subdued performance yet she has a lot of expression in her eyes. Jamie Dornan is fantastic as Paul, very subtle and unpredictable that a lot times makes the audience feel very unease watching him. For those who watched those dreadful 50 Shades films and think he’s a bad actor need to watch to this to see what real talent he is. Other stand-out cast and characters include John Lynch as Stella’s self destructive superior Jim, Bronagh Waugh as Paul’s unsuspecting wife Sally, Aisling Franciosi as Katie a teenage girl obsessed with Paul, Colin Morgan as Tom a young detective whom sleeps with Stella, Archie Panjabi as pathologist Tanya, Valene Kane as Rose an ex-girlfriend of Paul, Niamh McGrady as Danielle a devoted PC and more.

The show is slow paced but is mesmorising and disturbing, which relies more on atmosphere and psychology than violence or gore. The violence is there and at times is very difficult to watch, it’s the build up to it though that keeps you on edge. Scenes where characters are looking around a room or looking at the computer for example all take time but keep with you invested with a haunting musical score.

Unlike a lot of TV series’ where each season typically has a different story arc, this however has the one arc that flows from beginning to end making all three seasons feel like one long season. The ending to the series does wrap up story, however doesn’t end in a particularly satisfying way, which is fitting though for the tone of the show. There may be some things that were left unresolved but as one of the closing lines say, “That’s Disney, this is the real story”.