A stunning masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (29 May 2017)

There are almost no words for how amazing this movie was, but I am going to try my best anyway! If you are a true fan of the original film, there is no possible way you will not adore this movie. It brings wonderful additions and insights to the original story and the entire film is really just a feast for the eyes. The music will fully engulf you and make you feel like you are there with the characters.
Emma Watson is visually the perfect Belle and portrays the part beautifully. Her singing is of course not as good as Paige O'Hara but I really didn't feel like her lesser voice mattered much in the film. They definitely needed to lower some of the keys and change some of the notes in order for Emma Watson to perform some parts of the songs but you could tell that she worked really hard to train her voice as best as she could and it resulted in a very pleasant sound.
Luke Evans is great as Gaston, though I do not feel that any actual human man could play Gaston perfectly. Gaston is a huge, hulking man and refers to himself as a specimen. In the original, he is able to throw Lefou around like a pillow and he lifts the blond triplets and the bench with one arm with ease. He has a deep, booming voice and he is "roughly the size of a barge." Does any actual actor come to mind with any of those phrases? Luke Evans definitely had Gaston's narcissism, rudeness and viciousness down. But I personally did not feel like he was unbelievably handsome, big or brawny. But I was still very pleased with his performance.
Josh Gad absolutely stole the show from Gaston as Lefou. He added depth to the character who was really just comic relief in the original cartoon. He sung "Gaston" in the tavern perfectly, it was really like the animation was just transferred to real life. I hope he gets the credit he deserves for that role. Certainly blows Olaf from Frozen right out of the water! Kevin Kline was a surprisingly wonderful Maurice and I really felt the love between he and Belle. I loved the additions they made with her mother and why Belle was so enchanted by roses to begin with. I'm glad they made Maurice more serious in this version, he was very goofy in the cartoon.
Dan Stevens was wonderful as the beast and they added a surprising amount of humor to his lines. I at first didn't like that he knew how to read but I suppose it never made sense in the original that a prince didn't know how to read. My favorite song was the one he sung when Belle leaves, that was breathtaking. I thought he was the perfect handsome prince too, especially his eyes.
There were a few additions I did not care for but I did not feel should take away from the rating. I wish Gaston had died the way he did in the cartoon, right in front of Belle who chooses to save the beast and does not even give Gaston a second glance as he plummets to his death. I also wish that the enchantress was NOT present during the beast's transformation back into the prince. I found that unnecessary and intrusive, that was supposed to be Belle and the Prince's moment. I also found it very strange and annoying that they did not speak to each other at all, they just stared at each other and then kissed. I preferred the original there, but these are just my preferences.
I also felt like the servants gave away WAY too much to Belle in this version. It was almost shocking that Belle wasn't able to figure out what was going on herself with all of the info they let slip. All the little characters were wonderful, particularly the wardrobe.
Overall, it is a truly breathtaking movie, one that only comes along once in a blue moon. You will be amazed how they literally transferred some parts of the cartoon directly into live action. They used the same music, same background noises, dialogue, EVERYTHING...for the most part.
Don't miss out on this. You should really just drop whatever it is you are doing and go see this move now! Outstanding!