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This blog will be all about film reviews. I'm going to be watching a lot of movies, writing reviews, and hopefully not spoiling any movies you plan to watch.
Director: Bill Condon
Verdict: Meh The 2017 remake of Beauty and the Beast is a live action version of the animated classic. With a revised plot and a different focus, the film has made its own special spot in the disney princess world. The plot is largely the same as that of the original. However, there are some new additional pieces that help make the story feel more complete in some aspects but are a bit redundant in others. The main change is to characters. Belle’s dad, Maurice, is portrayed as a crazy yet genius inventor in the original version. However, he is now shown as a very sensible old man how is a master clock maker and accomplished painter. This change was largely for the better, as it helped keep the tone of the movie more uniform instead of being silly. Another major character change is the portrayal of LeFou, Gaston’s sidekick. In the animated movie, he is a flamboyant and silly character much like an excited dog. In the new version, he is slightly less flamboyant, but the real change is that he is overtly homosexual. While this is a lovely change of pace from most movies, it is slightly overplayed at times. However, as a whole, I did enjoy this change, it just helped keep the tone more uniform. In terms of the story, there are some minor additions that help tie up some loose plot ends but are not entirely necessary. Chief amongst these is that we learn what happened to Belle’s mother. This is seen in the movie as the moment that Belle and the Beast seem to solidify their relationship. The story would be completely fine without this detail, but it works. The movie seemed to be in an odd superposition between ultimate artist beauty and the plot and story. There were times when the movie seemed so focused on making the images so beautiful that other aspects suffered. A major issue for the whole of the film was the singing. Emma Watson’s voice was obviously auto tuned and synced, as was the case with many of the characters, it just doesn’t feel right. In comparison to a movie such as Singin in the Rain or La La Land, it feels crude. Whether it has to do with the casts singing abilities or just how they decided to film, they should have made greater consideration to the fact that the movie is a musical. I’m very glad that the Bill Condon did decide to not make a carbon copy of the animated version and decided to make their own variant. To have made an identical movie with people would have felt more like a gimmick than a different movie, a collectors item. However, by changing characters, modifying the plot, and playing with the artist side of the film, Condon was able to create a movie that has it’s own special place in the disney universe.
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June 2018
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