The Message is 'Beauty is Only Skin Deep'

Rating: 8/10 (18 March 2017)

This is a live action film (incorporating CGI animation), a remake of a classic with some tweaks here and there to make it a little more modern. I doubt whether anyone is unfamiliar with the plot (but just in case) here a summary
The main protagonist is a very handsome but selfish prince, who is 'ugly on the inside'. A beggar woman comes to the castle and offers the prince a rose, and asks for shelter, she is turned away and laughed at, she decides there is no love in the prince's heart. She is angry and reveals herself to be a witch, she casts a spell on the Prince and his staff making him into the 'ugly on the outside' Beast. The staff are all turned into pieces of furniture and antiques etc. They will all stay that way forever until someone declares their love for the Beast before the last petal of the rose falls.(Don't worry it all works out in the end)
The actors have all been perfectly cast.
Belle is Emma Watson, the 'bookish' feminist, her character is an anti-princess and very close to her Hermione character from Harry Potter, though not a great singer.
The Beast is Dan Stephens, he is excellent and has a great singing voice.
Gaston is Luke Evans, he is big and very bold, he has great charisma but is very egotistical.
Gaston's manservant is Josh Gad, he appears to be overly familiar with Gaston, but not in an overbearing way. This is in a similar way that Smithers, from the Simpsons, is with Mr Burns.
Parents need to be careful if they have younger children, the Beast character might be a little scary for a younger audience, the wolf attack scene definitely might be a little too scary.
The film will definitely engage with a '20 something' viewer (especially a girl) who will have loved the original animated version.
I will definitely view again and recommend this film.