Twenty-six years after the original Disney have released a film version of the 1991 hit animation release 'Beauty and the Beast.' For a particular generation this film is a classic and news of a filmic reinterpretation had fans of the original excited and full of glee. With director Bill Condon at the helm and the potentially perfect casting of Emma Watson nothing but good news filtered through to the public during the production.
With the original being a much loved Disney release containing, classic songs, characters and Disney moments how would the film stand up. I've seen it and here are my thoughts;
1. Emma Watson
Visually Watson is a fantastic fit as Belle, everything from the poise to the costume is a perfect fit. There are subtleties from the animated character and Watson manages to replicate them and in some cases bring her own twist to them.
As Belle Watson is the star of the film, a big step up for her as thus far she has played mostly supporting roles. She is the centre point, holds the screen and has the presence to command attention from all of her more experienced co-stars. On top of that this being a musical she can sing, she's clearly having the time of her life belting out the opening song and carries the form throughout the film.
The biggest compliment you can give an actor so heavily associated with one particular character is during the the performance I never thought of that role. Indeed Belle is a softer role than Watson usually plays and at no point during the film did I feel like I was watching Hermione Granger in a French frock.
2. Dan Stevens
Make no bones about it, there is more to the role of the beast than simply voicing an animated character. The Beast is this generations Mr Darcy and as such the character stands out from the rest of the cast. The transformation of the character sees Stevens provide the widest acting range of the movie and he carries it off well.
Comparing Stevens early scenes to the ending it looks like he's playing two different characters, buts a disservice to his performance. There isn't one scene where his performances changes with the snap of a finger - it happens gradually throughout the film.The film even manages to show humour and a bit of fun during the film.
A potentially tricky role, given that the majority of other parts are wonderfully over the top the role of the Beast is a more serious acting job. Stevens does a very good job of making the viewer care about the Beast despite where the character starts out in the story and does a good job of showing Beasts growth and development throughout the film.
3. Bill Condon
Condon has a remarkable track record, his recent film "Mr Holmes" was a masterpeace. He has form in fantasy films with female leads and directed one of the best musical based films in recent memory. If you had to handpick a director for this project Bill Condon would firmly be the number one target.
With such dexteritous film in terms of tone, effects and music a lot is asked of Bill Condon and he delivers. By far his best asset is his shot selection and the cinematography is one of the best aspects to the film, the best shots being The Beast lurking on the ramparts later in the film and the fight scenes, its a shame theres not a lot of action in the film as the climactic battle was both lots of fun and visually engaging.
4. The Supporting Cast
While the leads actors are two of the movies strongest aspects the guest cast is full of scene stealers. Luke Evans is on fine form as Gaston, his double act with Josh Gad is worth the price of admission alone.
Kevin Kline as Maurice gives such a nuanced performance that it makes the viewer wonder why he doesn't have more Oscars.
As the servants Ewan McGregor easily gives his best performance in over a decade while Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson bring much warmth to the Beast household.
5 The Songs
Brilliant, be our guest is as good as I hoped - plus the director toys with us as its later than the animation and Gaston is the stand out song on the film.
In short brilliant.
