Enchanting!

Rating: 9/10 (30 March 2017)

Reading all the negative reviews citing the 'distracting' CGI, Emma Watson not being as good as the animated Belle(!), etc., etc. I wonder what people expect when going to movies like this. Do they leave their sense of wonder at home and just look to pick holes? Well, to summarise my feelings on seeing Beauty and the Beast - I thought it was lovely! It paid respectful homage to the iconic animated original, but can stand on its own two feet as an artistic achievement. The cinematography and set decoration was magnificent, Emma Watson was fresh-faced and feisty as Belle, Luke Evans was a funny and wonderfully hateful Gaston and the musical numbers were well staged (Emma has a sweet voice which suits the songs). Only down side was that we didn't get to see very much of Dan Stevens out of beast mode - but can't help the story-line! I thought that the beast CGI was effective and managed to convey both the savage and vulnerable sides of the character. Go and see it, take your movie critic hat off and prepare to lose yourself in this magical movie.