When All is Said and Done, Everyone Deserves a Better Film Than This.

Rating: 5/10 (16 March 2017)

The highly anticipated release of the live action remake of Beauty and the Beast had all the ingredients of a future classic. With the animated film approaching it's 25th anniversary, the hunger for something like this is unfathomable. Yet, when the lights go on and the credits roll, I was left feeling like I was swindled. The Bill Condon film looks and sounds beautiful but the film is very thin in live action form. Emma Watson is woefully underselling as Belle and Dan Stevens does the best he can under the CGI-laden Beast. There are many issues with the film at the heart of it but one thing sticks out like a sore thumb: the complete and utter lack of originality.
The film does nothing in the way of introducing anything new to the age old story. The film is literally almost a shot for shot remake of the animated film. While die hard Beauty and the Beast fans along with their kids will probably enjoy the film, those looking for an extra layer will leave sorely disappointed. Despite this, the film does offer some explosive moments of action that are extremely well choreographed along with Josh Gad's wonderful performance as the comic relief that, despite his performance being marred with controversy, ends up being one of the stand-outs of the group. Then there are the musical numbers and these renditions are just as magical as it was in the 1992 animated film. They're infectious little numbers that are bound to be hummed for days after seeing the film. Despite these very positive attributes, the film just misses the mark and never rises to be more than just another remake.
Overall, I was very disappointed by Beauty and The Beast. I thought Bill Condon's best work is left to be desired, the two leads are very much so miscast, and the film offers nothing new in the way of a remake. However, if these things don't bother you, it is still a good family movie that can entertain for a solid 2 hours but will do very little outside of that. Is it worth going to see in the theater? No but if you have kids, chances are you're going to be dragged to it anyway so just try and enjoy it for what it's worth.