1/7/18 - Beauty and the Beast (2017) - 5-/10

Completely unnecessary but fine for what it is. Won’t thrill or elevate the original animated version but translates it into an exquisitely stylish but vacant live action fairytale. Made to recycle childhood nostalgia for more profit; a new staple in the Disney repertoire. But it does it satisfactorily, without truly bringing anything special to the table, but not trashing the original material either.

The CGI fluctuates. Some of it is solid, but the Beast , which really needs to deliver, didn’t quite work. Felt too much like a separate cartoon element. Pair that with a distinct lack of any charisma or connection with Watson’s Belle, and it leaves the story slowly sinking instead of buoyed and vibrant.

The costumes were elegant and strong. They shone, bringing the right amount of craft but it didn’t quite click with the moody & overly intense color palette/cinematography and plain camera work. A noteworthy element that separates rather than elevates.

The cast was mostly indecipherable or underutilized. Great actors sheepishly constrained by bad accents or uninteresting animated avatars. Watson, Evans, and Gad were adequate but unremarkable.

For a flashy kids film, it is a yawn-worthy passable effort. It is utterly shocking the amount of money that this film made, but it is easily packaged and presented, with an historical elegance and bountiful nostalgia. I certainly didn’t find much to love here, but there are worse ways to spend 2 hours. Might I suggest trying Cocteau’s La Belle et La Bête for a truly magical experience.