THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
1991’s Beauty and the Beast was such a success that it was the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the 64th Academy Awards, claimed by many as one of the best of its genre. With impact like that, the last thing audiences would expect were for it to be remade. Surprisingly, that became a reality decades later.
PLOT
The 2017 version does follow the same basic story but adds a few more elements in the process. Once upon a time, a handsome prince dismisses an elderly woman who pleads for shelter. Little did he know that she was a beautiful enchantress. As he begs for forgiveness, he is punished as she turns him into a beast and his staff are turned into household objects. She also erased all memory of them from the minds of their loved ones. The curse can be broken if he falls in love with one who would love him in return, until the last pedal of an enchanted rose falls. If he fails, he will remain a beast forever. Years later, we see a little town where the book-lover Belle lives with her father Maurice. Although she doesn't mind being single, because she turns down the former soldier Gaston constantly, she deeply wants adventure in her life. When Maurice heads for a convention, he gets lost and seeks refuge in the same castle where the prince turned Beast resides. The latter imprisons him for taking a rose without permission, labeling him as a thief. When his horse returns to town, Belle searches for her father and finds the castle. Upon arrival, she does find him but when meeting the Beast, she offers to take his place. When Maurice returns to town, he warns everyone of his experience but no one believes him. Gaston and his friend LeFou choose to help him look for the castle because he believes that he’ll gain his blessing to marry Belle. When unable to find the path, Gaston reveals his intentions and punches Maurice unconscious when he doesn’t get his blessing, leaving him behind in the progress. However, he is saved by a known hermit named Agathe (Hattie Morahan). Back at the castle, Belle mainly gets comfort from the staff: Lumière the maître d’ turned candelabra, his girlfriend maid turned feather duster Plumette (Gugu Mbatha Raw), Madame de Garderobe (Audra McDonald) the opera singer turned wardrobe, her husband composer turned harpsichord Cadenza (Stanley Tucci), the majordomo turned clock Cogsworth, the housekeeper turned teapot Mrs. Potts, and her teacup son Chip (Nathan Mack). The Beast does attempt to politely invite her for dinner, but she turns him down anyway. He angrily bans her from eating, but the staff defy that order and feed her anyway. After being fed, Belle makes the mistake of entering the West Wing when others constantly warn her not to go to. She discovers it to be the Beast’s room, but also finds the enchanted rose. Beast frightens her, as he was afraid she could’ve destroyed it on accident. She chooses to leave the castle but quickly encounters a pack of wolves as her father did. She does attempt to defend herself, but the Beast intervenes and saves her life, being wounded in the process. Despite wanting to leave, she returns to the castle with him and treats his wounds. From here is where they create a relationship. He expresses his kindness to her as not only do they dine together, but he also offers her his library. They are able to leave the castle with a book that can transport readers wherever they want, an item left from the enchantress. They go to an abandoned home in Paris, which happens to be where Belle was born. They discover a doctor’s mask designed to prevent exposure of the bubonic plague, meaning that her mother died from the said disease after giving birth to her. This gives Belle comfort because she never knew anything about her when growing up. When Gaston and LeFou return to town, they discover Maurice to be alive and well at the tavern. When the townsfolk question if he left him behind, he predictably denies it. Despite being aware that the actions were wrong, LeFou still chooses to back him up on the lie. Because Maurice has no proof of the castle or the Beast, Gaston convinces everyone that he should be sent to an asylum. Back at the castle, Belle has a romantic dance with the Beast, but she still misses her father. With the use of a magic mirror, another item left behind by the enchantress, she discovers the villagers harass him. With his newfound love, the Beast lets her go to save him. She returns in time to defend him, proving his sanity by showing the Beast through the magic mirror. Gaston takes this opportunity to convince the town to kill him, in order to have Belle for herself. When he takes the mirror from her, he locks her up with her father and find the path to the castle. The staff defend the castle as long as they could, but Gaston is able to find the Beast when everyone is distracted with the downstairs conflict. Belle does break from captivity and upon arrival, Gaston shoots the Beast, causing him to fall to the lower roof. When he sees her come back, his spirit is reinvigorated to defend himself. When he has Gaston at the ledge, he spares him. When reuniting with Belle, he is shot two more times by Gaston, who would than fall to his own death as the bridge he stood on crumbled. Right as the last petal fell, Belle confesses her love to him. Agathe would than appear to reverse the curse, revealing herself to be the same enchantress. As that happens, everyone that was cursed turns back to normal. When Belle sees the prince in human form, she kisses him for the first time and the darkness around the castle disappears and returns to normal as well. As everyone is reunited with their loved ones, the film ends with a ballroom celebration seeing the new couple enjoy their happily ever after.
THOUGHTS
Looking back at when this one came out in 2017, I admit that I got excited like many fans of the original film were because I was willing to see if it was worth the while and surprisingly, it was. Bill Condon knew that nothing can compete with the animated classic but despite that, he succeeds in keeping the same magic it was known for. I respect this movie for being faithful to the story while still making changes to make it different. Because of how both things pay off, this one is definitely one of the better remakes Disney has made thus far. I still love how the main message is present, where loving someone from the inside is more important than the outside. I personally feel like the beautiful visuals are what made the movie because if they weren't so great, people would be distracted and not appreciate the story. I mean looking at the dark castle for the first time was such a beautiful shot and from there, I knew it would get better. I was surprised there was more music mixed with covers of the original songs but I think they all worked with the set tone. Of all the covers, I was into 'The Mob Song' the most because it felt more intense and did a better driving the story. I also give credit to the sequences of the movie's titular song and 'Be Our Guest' because they're arguably just as stunning as the predecessor. I give this movie a lot of credit but despite that, this remake had more flaws than the original which did and didn't surprise me. First off, I was pretty creeped out on there was a door behind the throne room that wasn't locked. I mean if you want to ensure your party goes swell without intruders, lock that damn door. I also have a hard time believing Maurice loses his way to whatever market he's looking for if he goes every year. I f he's taken the trip before, he should remember where to go. But if he attempted to take a shortcut, there should've been an implication on that. I know you want to raise suspense on questioning Gaston but how were they so convinced by Maurice? They called him crazy about what he said of Beast and he didn't have proof on either claim. Maybe the librarian would believe him but everyone else, I'll have a hard time believing that. Also, why did it take so long to get him in the asylum cart? If time works differently at Beast's castle, that should be explained too. Did they wait another day to send word to the asylum that they want to bring someone in? If this is true, I'd like to know. And lastly, I am fine with everyone dancing happily at the end, but why the hell is the prince having the exact growl he had as a beast? That shit made no sense and it is irritating every time I think about it. However, I'm positive that you can still enjoy this remake for what it is. As I return to the goods, it's no secret that the main reason for this movie to remain watchable is the cast that held the fort. I was never sure who would play who when first hearing the headline of this remake being in development, but the majority had a good impression. Emma Watson really did great with Belle because besides singing so great, she still successfully embraced the character's independence, that made her stand out from other Disney princesses. I was relieved that there was a scene of her asking of the rose, because it felt unrealistic of the animated film to not have her question it after discovering it. Even her renditions of both versions of 'Belle' were so beautiful to listen to. Dan Stevens was definitely great with the Beast as his motion capture performance reflected the persona of going from ferocious to loving. Of all the new songs, I enjoyed 'Evermore' because when listening, you understand how hurt he is that he might not see Belle again,but it doesn't change how much he'll love her for bringing out the best of him. I was used to the idea that Gaston had to be an actor that would be as buff as he was originally drawn. So with the decision of casting Luke Evans, I was not convinced at first because I didn't think he looked the part. But that didn't matter after first viewing, because what really mattered is that he did great displaying the known despicable, narcissistic attitude that defines the villain. I enjoyed Josh Gad a lot more than I expected because LeFou finally got depth. The original briefly showed him as a naive and clumsy person but here, we see that he chooses to be under Gaston's thumb because he seems to have had infatuation for him. It was pretty bold for a known character like him to appear to be homosexual and I was on board with it. It was interesting to see how someone see someone else he cared about have his own downward spiral and accept it he's not worth it aligning with. Another reason why 'The Mob Song' stood out was because of how he openly sings how Gaston is the true monster of the story. I was able to enjoy Maurice more in this version compared to the original because I personally felt that Kevin Kline did a better job representing him as an inventive person and loving father. And his interlude cover 'How Does a Moment Last Forever' was a great way to introduce him because it set up. Ewan McGregor stood out with the role of Lumiere because he accurately reflected the same kind hearted energy the character originally brought to the screen. Emma Thompson was good with Mrs. Potts as well because she did good in reflecting the character's sympathy towards everyone. Both her and Ewan's singing were good as well during 'Be Our Guest' & 'Beauty and the Beast' which puts me in relief because if it wasn't the case, I'd have a hard time enjoying the visual spectacle around it. And last but not least, Sir Ian McKellen was an interesting choice for Cogsworth because he showed him to be one that may be uptight on how they're running out of time, he still can be a caring figure to his friends. Overall, 2017's Beauty and the Beast is a remake that surprisingly holds up because it succeeds being different while also keeping the same roots. If you love the animated classic deeply, I find it likely that you'll have a soft spot for this one.
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