Watered down version of the original classic

Rating: Null/10 (22 June 2017)

Aside from this, I have seen Cinderella out of the new live-action Disney adaptations. And they do share certain similarities, but also certain key differences.
We all know the story of Beauty and the Beast. Cursed prince, a smart woman feeling trapped in a small provincial village, castle in the middle of nowhere, tale as old as time, and so on. The problem, at least when compared to Cinderella, is that they changed absolutely nothing. It's the exact same story, the exact same songs, the exact same characters. Almost scene by scene the same movie. There are a couple of added scenes that aim to deepen the character of the two main leads, but they seem exactly what they are: tagged on additions to pad out the runtime. Whereas Cinderella, while still sticking to the basic premise, significantly deepened the relationship between the main couple, changed the order of events and felt as a whole like a fresh movie while still paying an homage to the original.
On the other hand, the actors are better in this film. Emma Watson has her haters, but I've always liked her and she gives a credible performance here as Belle. Perhaps it's a bit distracting that the character is so similar to Hermione Granger, but that's what you get. Luke Evans makes for an incredible Gaston, probably the best character in the film, and Dan Stevens makes for a credible Beast. Although I do hope that they had made him at least partially with practical effects because now the CGI just isn't quite there with this budget.
That being said, the film looks fine overall. I'm not a huge fan of all-CGI effects like in this film, because it just doesn't look real unless done phenomenally well and perhaps not even then, but I can live with it. It helps that the designs and textures are thought out well.
As a whole this movie doesn't have much reason for existing. The original Beauty and the Beast looks, sounds and acts better as a story and as a film. These live-action remakes only make sense if you bring something new to the story. Still, as a standalone film, without the context, it's an okay piece of cinema.