Beauty and the Beast

Rating: 7/10 (25 July 2019)

Hmm... I wasn't a huge fan of Emma Watson's performance in this, and her starring in this movie is perplexing to say the least because of how it's basically a story about a bookish girl developing Stockholm syndrome, even after her father had just been abused by the man/beast she falls for. Luke Evans as Gaston and Josh Gad as LeFou were pretty decent, but still left something to be desired. Don't get me wrong, this is a charming movie at all, and I felt it did a better job at capturing the spirit of its original version than the Aladdin remake did, but it was still a bit lackluster, and very focused on visual effects.
There was, however, one major standout here, and the thing that shone brightest, by far, was Dan Stevens's portrayal of the beast. His iconic manner of speaking and moving his body as he talks spoke the loudest in this film. I hadn't seen him in any other media since Downton Abbey, and I was very impressed with how idiosyncratic he was despite his beastly transformation. So great job, Dan Stevens!