'Beauty and the Beast:' An Absent, Vague Reimagining of a Classic

Rating: 3/10 (27 April 2017)

"Beauty and the Beast" is a 2017 musical romantic fantasy remake of a 1991 animated film of the same name. It is directed by Bill Condon ("Twilight: Breaking Dawn" parts 1 & 2) and is written by Stephen Chbosky ("Perks of Being a Wallflower") and Evan Spiliotopulos ("Huntsman: Winter's War"). The music is by Alan Menken ("Aladdin"); the cinematography by Tobias A. Schliessler ("Dreamgirls"); the editing by Virginia Katz; and the production by David Hoberman ("Monk") and Todd Lieberman ("The Fighter"). It stars Emma Watson ("Harry Potter"), Dan Stevens ("Downton Abbey"), Luke Evans ("Clash of the Titans"), Kevin Kline ("Sophie's Choice"), Josh Gad ("Modern Family"), Stanley Tucci ("The Lovely Bones"), Audra McDonald ("Private Practice"), Evan McGregor ("Star Wars"), Gugu Mbatha-Raw ("Doctor Who"), Ian McKellen ("X-Men"), and Emma Thompson ("Sense and Sensibility"). Filming began May 18, 2015 in Surrey, England with an estimated budget of $160 million, and a box office totaling at $1.103 billion internationally. It has a running time of 2 hours, 19 minutes (139 minutes), and a PG rating for mild violence. Now to the review:
Belle (Emma Watson) is a gorgeous, kind, and smart young woman living in a small- minded village in France. Despite constant wooing from village heartthrob Gaston (Luke Evans) Belle keeps her feisty independence and devotion to intellect. Her father Maurice (Kevin Kline) goes on a "trip" (Doing God knows what, that's never really explained), and she asks for a rose. Maurice ends up getting lost in the woods, and comes upon a castle where, unbeknownst to him, a cursed Beast (Dan Stevens) and his staff reside. Maurice is captured by the enraged Beast, and Belle, learning of her father's disappearance, goes to the castle and trades her freedom for his. Slowly, Belle and Beast fall in love, while a frazzled Maurice searches for help to rescue her. He finally gains the trust and help of Gaston and his lackey LeFou (Josh Gad).
So here's what I think it boils down to. Something as beloved and treasured as '91's B+B should not ever be made into a remake without taking all possible precautions. You need a Belle who can sing and act, a beast who looks fairly realistic, a CGI castle that actually looks plausible, and you need an interesting and captivating script/plot. Otherwise, the project should not be taken on.
Obviously, this will be a huge box office hit. And I understand. No one is immune to some nostalgia, especially from an amazing original animated film. But I miss the times when cinema had standards. I miss the clever and impactful films Disney used to make. If we are meeting films like this with widespread approval, then what messages are we sending for future Disney films?
Here is Watson, when asked why her Belle specifically, is a feminist:
"So, we created a backstory for her, which was that she had invented a kind of washing machine, so that, instead of doing laundry, she could sit and use that time to read instead. So, yeah, we made Belle an inventor."
Now, I guess one could say that that this is a slight improvement (no matter how unnecessary) on Belle. But why? What more is being said? "Hey, not only can she read, but she also can build things too! Now that's what I call a feminist princess!"
But Belle was already a feminist princess. A bit outdated considering our times, sure. But if you're going around flaunting the term "Feminist Belle," then I expect more than one 1.5 minute scene where she's using her washing machine, and then a 30 second clip in which that same machine is destroyed. God, what is your point? What more is this bringing? What thought is this provoking?
Now, I think the idea of revamping a feminist Belle is great. I do, really. Watson had great intentions. But if this is all we're getting, then what's the point if you're adding so little?
3/10
30%
F