A visually stunning and musically catchy live-action remake.

Rating: 8/10 (24 March 2017)

A tale as old as time, this Disney animated classic gets a live-action makeover complete with singing candelabras, a crumbling castle, and a cantankerous brute doomed to live out his days in solitude and regret. That is, until the weird and wonderful village bookworm Belle (Emma Watson) brings a slice of humanity into the creature's cursed world. But can this Beauty tame the Beast? We all know how the story plays out yet that does nothing to dampen the exuberance and splendour on display; each song and dance sequence is a feast of stunning cinematography, fascinating choreography and catchy tunes. And the recognisable theme song is, of course, still amazing. Musical numbers alone, however, will only take the movie so far, so it's credit to the cast that they imbue proceedings with an additional layer of heart, humour and interest. Watson is simply delightful as the strong-willed and resourceful Belle, Dan Stevens is complex as the motion-captured Beast, Luke Evans and Josh Gad are comically over-the-top as Gaston and LeFou, and Ewan McGregor almost steals the show entirely as the rambunctious Lumiere. There's a couple of missteps blocking this remake's lofty ambition of matching the original—the runtime is slightly too long, the sweeping shots of the castle become repetitive—although it gets enviably close. A charming tale of romance and redemption, Beauty and the Beast dazzles with visual opulence and irrepressible musical energy.