Live Version Falls Well Short of the Animated Classic!

Rating: 6/10 (24 March 2017)

The animated version of Beauty & the Beast is my favorite Disney film of all time. Frankly, I was excited to hear about the live action version, and I was anxious to see it. Unfortunately, this live action version is a pale, paltry comparison to its animated predecessor. In fact, it's not really even that close.
Those who have seen the original will find very few surprises here aside from a few minor changes here and there.
First of all, Emma Watson just doesn't have it in her to play Belle. Belle is a young woman who is a dreamer, but she is also full of life. Watson portrays Belle as a girl with a mild interest in, well, anything! She seldom smiles, and she almost looks bored. Also, Watson isn't incapable of singing, she just isn't great. With a sea of actresses out there who can act AND sing, how hard would it have been to cast someone who can do both? Disney was obviously banking on Watson's popularity to put people in the seats. They made a mistake. Everyone knows that if your product is good enough, people will show up.
The Beast, in many ways, is even worse. The CGI people forgot to give Beast any emotional expression. He growls and sneers a few times, but mostly, he has a disinterested look about him. It's really sad that both Watson and Stevens/CGI were unable to tap into what makes these iconic characters so likable and easy to relate to. They also have virtually no romantic chemistry whatsoever. So, when the epic climax comes when Belle confesses her feelings, Watson conveys it as if she's simply reading it without any emotional feelings at all.
The special effects are impressive, but as with so many films today, special effects without compelling characters pretty much means that your film is going to be very shallow. This is just another reason why the film is flat, as many other reviewers have pointed out.
One of the bright spots is Luke Evans' Gaston. I almost wish that there had been more of him. Evans can act AND sing! At least someone in this film is able to do both aside from Evans and Ewan McGregor. Kevin Kline, a veteran of the stage, is also solid as Belle's father, Maurice as well as Ian McKellan's Cogsworth.
The songs are all intact, and frankly, the best one is Ewan McGregor singing "Be Our Guest." Emma Watson's contributions are just way too amateurish and lack any kind of range.
All in all, Beauty and the Beast was a disappointment, especially given the level of expectations and also knowing what Disney is capable of. Disney fails in this attempt. I really hope they put more effort into Aladdin than they did this one, or the epic trilogy of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Lion King are going to end up being a trilogy of emptiness and failure.