When Disney remade “Cinderella,” most bets were on it flopping. However, the movie ended up being charming and beautifully done, giving more backstory and character development to a film that, albeit is a classic, was desperately needing one.
Now, Disney and the director of “Chicago” and “Dreamgirls” have a live action “Beauty and the Beast” film. But, it begs to be asked if they will have the same success with a remake of a more recent film (The original is 26 years old). Or is this new remake simply a beast?
Thankfully, Bill Condon’s background dealing with Broadway musicals served him well here. Each song pops and flows brilliantly and while no one, not even Belle, is exceptional in their vocal range, no one is bad either. The whole cast sings and performs well, with praise particularly going to Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson as Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts, respectively.
Kevin Kline is wonderful as Belle’s father Maurice. Luke Evans has a devilish and cartoony charm to him as the ever evil Gaston and Josh Gad is also excellent as LeFou, Gaston’s faithful companion. The legend Alan Menken also returns to write the score and even contributed four new songs to the film.
Even the Beast is animated and performed well, with Dan Stevens bringing an angry kind of charm to the character. Screenwriter Stephen Chbosky of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” fame adds a thick layer of charm to every character in the film, and it never feels grating. The film, as a whole, is just exceptionally charming.
Unfortunately, while it is also gorgeous and detailed in its visuals, it doesn’t feel as colorful as it animated counterpart, or even 2015’s “Cinderella.” The visuals are not bad; “Be Our Guest” is as flamboyant and show stopping as it has ever been. It's just that the rest of the film doesn't pop off the screen in the same way. The castle is well detailed and designed, but it does feel empty and lifeless.
Overall, while the film is a tad bit too long and the singing is good but not great. The new tale as old as time is still a remarkable movie. It channels the Disney classic without imitating it too much. Will it stand up to that classic? Only time will tell, but at the end of the day, this is just a simple story told wonderfully of a beauty and her beast. 4/5
