Emma Watson Manages to be Luminous in an Already Vibrant Film

Rating: 9/10 (6 March 2017)

I'm utterly shocked by the negative backlash that this film has been getting from critics and the public because it's truly a joy to watch. Bill Condon has done a wonderful job bringing the beloved animated flick to life with a stellar cast, exceptional musical numbers, and jaw-dropping sets and visuals (the ballroom scene had me in tears). Also, Steven Chbosky and Even Spiliotopolous deserve credit as well as they were able to conceive a screenplay that kept enough familiarity with the original to give the audience some good-old nostalgia while adding enough new details and subtle elements to keep the audience invested in what's going to happen next.
The cast really carry the movie as well, with Luke Evans (Gaston), Dan Stevens (the Beast), and Josh Gad (LeFou) entertaining the hell out of me--Stevens is practically playing a completely different character, and his performance creates a new and charming Beast (and damn, can he sing!). Evans is absolutely perfect as Gaston, and although I don't love his singing voice for the character, he nailed every single line he was given. Now, regarding the situation with LeFou; I really don't understand why Bill Condon went ahead and made a big deal about Josh Gad's character being gay because it's barely present in the film. Beauty and the Beast is now not likely to preform as well as it could possibly have with foreign markets in addition to a bunch of local conservatives throwing temper-tantrums (spamming the film with negative "reviews") for nothing; you blink and you'll miss that "exclusively gay moment". As for Gad himself, his LeFou is charming and hilarious in his own right--he's certainly an extra viewing bonus. Kevin Kline is truly a gift to the film; he does not play a small part and he has one little song that he absolutely nails. The father-daughter bond between him and Belle is truly spectacular. As for the rest cursed objects, I thought they voiced their characters fine enough, but they weren't what was driving the film.
Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, this is Emma Watson's movie. And boy, does she crush it as Belle. I can assume it was tough for her to watch Emma Stone take home Best Actress for La La Land, but don't worry, Emma, because you've knocked it out of the park here. Watson's Belle is strong, independent, passionate, vigilant, and every other adjective you could add to describe the perfect modern female heroine in Disney- princess form. She is also adorably awkward at times, something understandable since she's lived as an outcast in her village her whole life. The added backstory and quirks really make this character all the more three- dimensional and they incorporate into the movie beautifully. Emma really sells every one of her scenes, and her Harry Potter days have seemed to have helped her out regarding working with visual effects and acting off of nothing. I doubt the film would be half as good if they had gotten anyone else to play Belle-- just note that about 95% of the people claiming that she was wooden in the film are either biased trolls, or more likely, people who haven't even seen the film yet.
As for complaints about the movie, I have very few. Personally, it took me about 10 minutes to truly get into it because it was such a strange sensation to watch my childhood be portrayed by other people, plus all of the songs felt like really weird covers of the original songs until I really warmed to the new atmosphere. Also, they would introduce fascinating details about the Beast that they never really seemed to do anything with. Lastly, the third act is somewhat a competition between the loud and over-the-top music numbers and the climatic state of the plot for your attention. Although both are extremely entertaining, at times the third act felt a little unfocused. However, I can assure you, that the ending scene were Beast transforms is spectacular, both Stevens and Watson do a terrific job expressing the same emotions created 26 years ago.
All in all, this is a wonderful movie. All the critics are kind of saying the same thing: "if the original is so great, why remake it?" and "it's just a remake, nothing more". Why does this film not deserve credit for being a faithful yet fresh retelling of the tale as old as time? In fact, it even improves upon some aspects of the original, such as how Belle and Beast fall in love (just wait a couple weeks and see the film and you'll understand how). I have the answer: people simply don't want to like this movie. The original is so amazing and beloved by practically the entire planet that Disney having the audacity to come and revamp so many people's childhoods for the sake of money is, for many, very offensive--even if the movie's actually really, really good.