Great conversion of the original. Emma Watson a bit out of place.

Rating: 9/10 (24 March 2017)

Watched this one yesterday and in my opinion, it came off way better than the modern jungle book remake. The CGI animation is much better suited to this story while keeping the essence intact. The movie didn't always carry the right momentum and the new songs were a bit hit and miss, but that sits in line with the original songs which were fun and memorable but half the time a bit sing-what-you-could- just-say-or-are-doing, but perfectly passable relative to its predecessor.
The main thing that let the movie down for me was Emma Watson. I don't think she's a bad actress or have anything personal against her, but most the time her sort of face squint she does isn't what we want to see. She tries to hard to act, sometimes this works in strong emotional scenes, but most the time she's supposed to represent an innocence she just doesn't seem to have. The last foible is that at times her interaction with all-CG elements including The Beast, look awkward and displaced. Mostly this isn't the case, but sometimes it is and it is off-putting. That's not to say it's all her fault: it could be down to direction that things are left wrong...
Despite the issues I have with Belle, she still carries the story perfectly well and the film is just as enjoyable as the older Disney animation. Excellent use of our current age of technology and the songs still feel right at home.