We know the story, the characters, the songs. It's engrained into the zeitgeist of our times. Belle (Emma Watson) lives in a 'poor provincial town' and dreams of finding a life outside of the stagnant misogyny of rural France in the 1800's. She is wooed by a braggadocios Gaston (the perfectly-cast Luke Evans) and raised by her loving father, Maurice (Kevin Kline, with an American accent no less). After Maurice is lost on the way to the market, he stumbles on the Enchanted Castle and is imprisoned by Beast (Dan Stevens). Belle finds him and trades his life for hers, and slowly she learns to care for and understand the Beast.
Right away this film seeks to answer many of the questions and potential loopholes established by the original cartoon, such as: how does no one remember this giant castle just a mile or two away from the village? Is every object in the castle originally a human, and if so, what happened to all their real plates? Where is Belle's mom? There is an expanded mythology that even clarifies the original spell and the the time Beast has to break the curse. It all works quite well. Even the personification of these characters work very well in fleshing out who they are. Beast, where in the cartoon is a loud, stubborn oaf, here takes on a softer side, with charm and higher education. With the understanding of Maurice's deceased wife, we can understand why losing his daughter is all the more tragic.
Simply looking through the list of Disney live action musicals, this is easily their best and most ambitious one since Mary Poppins. The film benefits from several additional songs (composed for the film, not lifted from the Broadway show or other sources) that are both beautiful and make the movie feel like you're watching an actual show, not just a movie. There's a great song sung by the Beast after Belle leaves to save her father. Not only does it make sense to the story, but it's also a great tune. Even familiar numbers like Gaston are expanded to accomodate this live action setting: there's a dance sequence and some very funny one-liners by LeFou (Josh Gad). From the layered costumes to the very whimsical sets, it's clear to see the ambition and care given (not to mention this is allegedly the most expensive movie musical ever made at $160 million).
Emma Watson is clearly a talented actress and has a history of playing characters living in magical castles, but her personification of Belle felt little more than average. In the original, Belle is headstrong, courageous, and evenly-matched against the Beast. Here, it's simply a bland performance that makes sense on paper but is utterly forgettable after the film is over. Dan Stevens definitely is a strong-point in bringing a unique take to the cursed Prince, but you have to admit that the CGI depiction of the monster seems to need a bit more rendering before becoming believable. The sidekicks in the castle (Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs Potts, etc) are all fantastic to look at, but they lack the charm we saw in the original film. It's easy to sympathize with a cartoon candelabra, but seeing a realistic one in person still looks very odd.
It's a relief to see Beauty and the Beast has been made with care and passion and not just a lust for money. The film is already breaking box office records and it's easy to see why: not because it's a Disney musical, but because it's a story audiences truly care about. This isn't a movie that was made solely as a fan-service, it's very much a strong film that brings more to the table that one might expect. I don't think it necessarily improves on the original, but it's certainly should be recommended.
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