The good and the bad

Rating: 6/10 (25 March 2017)

To be more precise my rating is a 6.5 but thought I'd round it up to a 7. Well this has been a Disney remake that I, along with what I am sure is many other people, anticipated for a very long time. I didn't expect too much, though: no one could top Angela Lansbury's rendition of Beauty and the Beast. And Emma Watson, though she does have the beauty that is similar to Belle's, lacks almost everything else that made Belle the way she was.
I'll start off with a list of what I believe was bad, then end this review on a good note. These are of course my opinions and are to be taken with a grain of salt! (Possible spoilers ahead). The Bad: 1. Emma Watson's singing voice. I was informed before going into the cinema that her voice was autotuned, but man this was autotuned to the MAX! Some parts almost sounded a bit too robotic for my liking. 2. Ewan McGregor. I respect him and do believe he is a fine actor, but he put on the worst French accent I have heard. Though, his rendition of "Be Our Guest" compensated for it. 3. When Beast transformed back into his human self, I would have very much preferred Dan Steven's actual look than try and copy the cartoon's human interpretation of the beast. 4. The ending felt a bit too abrupt. One moment they were kissing, then all of a sudden they were in a ballroom and everything was completely fine. I understand that this probably had to do with pacing issues but I do believe there was just some small transitional scene. 5. The beast's solo was a bit boring and not very effective. Dan Stevens has a nice voice but I felt that it didn't give as much of a punch as I had anticipated.
The good: 1. The visuals were absolutely stunning! I loved the cold winter-y setting used in the castle. Absolutely gorgeous and gives a very gloomy feel at the same time. The scene where Belle runs up the hills as her Reprise reaches its climax was just as breathtaking in my opinion. 2. I'm not trying to get political here but I liked the fact that they had some dark skinned actors and actresses instead of just all white like they did in the original cartoon. 3. It was great to see the prologue have a more in depth story which explains some of the plot holes present in the original film. I won't go too in depth and let the viewer find that out. 4. Emma Thompson did a very good job on "Beauty and the Beast", though my previous statement still stands that no one could top Angela Lansbury's rendition of it. 5. Be Our Guest was such a delight to look at! The visuals, the choreography, the singing! It was like watching a fireworks display. 6. I really liked Le Fou's character development in "The Mob Song". They gave him much more depth than they did in the original. I'm not just talking about the fact that they made him a homosexual, but I liked how they didn't make him a delusional, devoted idiot. He knew what was right from wrong. 7. The humour was effective. Then again I am easily entertained so I won't go too in depth with this point.
So all in all, it was a pretty good attempt. The visuals were stunning and most of the music was a delight to listen to, but I do believe that the original will always be the better one. I am no film critic, just a simple movie watcher, so like I said before: take all this with a grain of salt!