Magic Lost, Agenda Pushed

Rating: 2/10 (18 January 2018)

Many others have covered Emma Watson's wooden performance and the stereotypical characters.
As someone who grew up with, and loved, the 1991 film- I found this to be a huge disappointment. Instead of building on the original, they pushed an agenda. Every other villager was black (really, in the 18th century French countryside?), Belle is a feminist, Lefou is gay, and there was multiple inferences to content inappropriate for kids. At one point three men get "attacked' by the wardrobe and end up in garish, drag-like female apparel. One of the guys breaks out in a huge grin which is a not even remotely subtle promotion of transgenderism. My 9 year old asked about his strange reaction. Why is this crap in a kids movie?
The new songs were lame. I wanted to fast forward through them. Especially the "Beast Ballad".
The worst thing though is that this movie has no magical quality too it at all. Even the ballroom scene was sadly disappointing and flat. All those talented actors, no doubt a huge budget, the freakin' story already written and they manage to mess it up.