Not as good as the Disney animated classic, but it is a pretty entertaining and well made update.

Rating: 8/10 (23 March 2017)

'BEAUTY AND THE BEAST': Four Stars (Out of Five)
Disney's live-action remake of their 1991 hit animated musical, of the same name; which was based on the eighteenth-century fairy tale, also of the same name, by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. The film tells the classic story of a woman who falls in love with the beast that imprisons her, in an enchanted French castle. It stars Emma Watson, Dan Stevens (of 2014's 'THE GUEST' fame), Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and others. It was directed by Bill Condon (who also helmed 'THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 1' and '2', as well as the musical 'DREAMGIRLS'), and it was scripted by Evan Spiliotopoulos and Stephen Chbosky (who also wrote and directed 'THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER', also costarring Emma Watson). The film has been a huge hit at the Box Office so far, and it's also gotten mostly positive reviews from critics. I mostly enjoyed it as well.
Belle (Watson) lives in the village of Villeneuve, with her father Maurice (Kline). She is harassed constantly by a popular, and extremely arrogant, former soldier named Gaston (Evans); who desperately wants to marry her. One day, on a trip to the market, Maurice gets lost in the woods and stumbles upon an old castle. He's then attacked, and imprisoned there, by a beast that lives in the castle (Stevens), for stealing a rose from the garden. When Maurice's horse rushes to Belle for help, she returns with it to the castle and offers to take her father's place, in order to free him. The Beast accepts her offer, against Maurice's wishes, and Maurice is set free. Belle slowly begins to sympathize with her captor, as she learns how he, and his staff, were transformed into a monster, and a bunch of inanimate objects, by a powerful enchantress. She also later learns, that only true love can break their curse.
The 1991 animated film is one of my favorite Disney animated movies (excluding Pixar), I remember fondly when it was shockingly nominated for Best Picture (at the Academy Awards for that year). I haven't seen it in a while, so I don't remember for sure how faithful this live-action remake is, but it seems pretty faithful to me (there's a few things I noticed that were probably changed though). One of the most notable changes, to the original animated film, is the controversial inclusion of an openly gay character (played by Josh Gad in the movie). I think his character definitely makes the film more entertaining (and Gad is great in the role). I definitely can't say I enjoyed this new version as much as I remember liking the Disney animated classic, but it is a pretty entertaining and well made update.
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