AT THE MOVIES

by Isy Jordan

Beauty and the Beast
Director: Bill Condon
Starring: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, and more...

Tale as old as time. But can it live up to the magnificent 1991 Oscar-nominated animated version? Happy to say it did that and more!

The live-action update of Beauty and the Beast was unsurprisingly loyal to the original animation. Belle, an odd girl who enjoys reading, lives in a poor, provincial town in France with her inventor father, Maurice. When Maurice disappears on his way to the fair, and his horse returns without him, Belle embarks on adventure to find her father trapped in a enchanted, gloomy mansion by a monstrous, hideous beast.

To steal a line from one of the movie's many, lovable songs... there may be something there that wasn't there before.

The movie filled in any hole, answered any question left by the original animated feature. It wasn't made obvious why Belle's mother wasn't in the picture in the original film. In the new update, not only was her mother's absence referenced, it played a part later in the movie for both Belle and Maurice.

For those of you who wondered, like me, why did Belle have to teach the Beast in the original film to read? He was once a prince, right? Wouldn't he have received an education? All explained here. I can't reveal a lot more without spoiling what I consider to be some pretty neat aspects of the film. Just trust me on this, the added information, backstory, and scenes, elevated this movie from being a pretty good live-action version to being a true Disney classic.

Yes, the songs from the original film were there along with their scenes. If you're wondering "how in the world will they pull off the Be Our Guest musical number?", go watch the film and see for yourself. If anything, it's more amazing than the original.

The acting I was very happy with. Emma Watson as Belle seemed a no-brainer and it was. Luke Evans as Gaston? Oh, my! He was amazing! He nailed the brash, boorish, full-of-himself bounder in a way I thought no one (except perhaps Hugh Jackman) could. I absolutely loved him! Joseph Gad as his side-kick LeFou deserves a nod here as well. There was much controversy about his character being gay in this Disney film. Yes, he was, but his performance was so subtle and respectful that even those who are not supporters of the LGBTQ community (personally, I'm very much a supporter) had to admire the depth it gave to an otherwise two dimensional character who served little purpose in the original film. I applaud the film makers and Disney for doing this.

In summary, this is a must see for Disney fans, romance fans, movie lovers and film buffs of all ages. It's 129 minutes that's over way too quickly. It's rated PG and there are some frightening scenes of battle and violence. It's a bit more in this film than in the original because it's live and not animated. Still, most of the young ones should be okay with a parent or guardian there.

Go see it in the theatres! Then see it again.

Isy