So much potential yet so unfulfilling

Rating: 6/10 (12 June 2017)

I REALLY wanted to love this movie. Admittedly, I love Disney. Yep, one of those wackos that braves thousands of like-minded folk stuffed into a square mile, fighting for a glimpse of Mickey as he rides by on his majestic parade float. So it's easy to see that I was anticipating this release, but with cautious optimism.
Sadly, some of my fears were eventually realized. Overall, the movie seems very uninspired, if I had to sum it up into one word. The characters at times seem shallow. Emma Watson, although a wonderful actress, is no Belle. Disney clearly has a vision for each of their characters and that vision is very recognizable throughout the world of Disney, in the parks, cartoons, books, etc. Watson is definitely a liberty that the producer took with this film and I personally think it was a mistake.
Beast is kind of a mess. I actually enjoyed the backstory but didn't feel that the movie dug deep enough into Beast's change of heart. Almost as if one day, he woke up on the other side of the bed.
I would have like to seen Maurice as a little more absent-minded, almost where one might think of him as potentially crazy. Here again, he seems like an afterthought. If it weren't for his hair, the name "crazy Maurice" wouldn't even make sense.
And Gaston...where do I start? I love Gaston in the story, but hated him in this movie. Gaston isn't supposed to be realized as an antagonist until midway through the story. Here, he's clearly a jerk from the start and seemingly obsessed with marriage. He's supposed to be funny, if not annoying at times. Like a puppy dog chasing a bone.
However, I enjoyed the music and some of the animation. And as expected, Josh Gad was a bright spot.