A Review of Beauty and the Beast 2017 Movie
Box Office
From a production budget of $160 million, Beauty and the Beast has grossed $494 million as of May 14, 2017 in the United States and Canada. This film was extremely expensive and in fact, the most expensive musical production in the history of movies. Thus, marking the 2nd spot for being the biggest musical movie, next to Disney's Frozen.
There has been an enormous theatrical earnings of $1 billion as of April 12, 2017 and the movie is currently recognized as the highest-grossing film of 2017. Its gross, even topping the classic 1991 cartoon film .
Emma Watson as Belle
Aside from Emma Watson's character as Hermione in the Harry Potter film series, I haven't had the chance to see any other films of this actress. I feel like I haven't moved on from her character in Harry Potter that I somehow saw that strong and fierce kid again in Beauty and the Beast. I'm sure there has been good reviews about her portrayal as Belle and I won't single her out from the stupendous performances of the rest of the cast because she did great. The only unfavorable comment I have is that I don't see her in a musical movie because watching her seemed a bit lumpish. She's exploring all avenues. I get it. She wants to try a musical and she delivered the goods but I think that for a remake of a classic Disney movie that I have loved since I was a kid, I wanted the same exact Belle from a cartoon to a real live character. I wanted a lady who didn't possess that sharpness and strong character that Emma Watson did as Belle. I wanted to see her in fear of the beast, crying and longing for her dad and hoping to be free from that castle. I don't think that Emma Watson's facial features and acting expertise could fit Belle with that magical feeling of seeing a Disney Princess.
Dan Steven as the Beast
Dan Stevens is normally handsome but whatever did they do, putting him in that hideous blue feminine-ish costume on the last part of the movie that it drove me up the wall? He should've worn something more manly.
Setting aside my frustration on his wardrobe, the 40-lb muscle suit covered in marker dots and gray lycra during the filming, definitely worked its charm ---- all thanks to the effects team. The Beast showed the exact character that I was hoping to see and Dan Stevens' surely didn't just sail through something because the effort that he exerted made millions of people enchanted by the remake of the Beast's character.
Overall Review
The film made it with such a big leap at the box office but it didn't completely capture my heart. The cinematography, the effects, the music and the whole production has met the supreme standards of excellence for being so flawless, but then I had high hopes of seeing a twist to the story. Maleficent was the first movie I saw that captivated me with their big twist on the true love's kiss, being between a mother and a child. And then of course, there was Frozen showing a love between two sisters. Beauty and the Beast could've plotted something that wouldn't really change the entire story but would've manifested a different side on the meaning of true love.
Despite the fact that the storyline was a complete emulation of the classic film, it felt a bit controversial for me. I wanted the 1991 Beauty and the Beast characters to be exactly the same but then Belle was just too brave and strong, and I was quite intrigued to see the first ever LGBT character in a Disney movie. It was a small part and not something that should get overblown though a gay character in a movie that children are watching doesn't really feel safe to a mom like me. It's nice that there are interracial couples in the movie and there is a gay guy but it could've been shown on another movie genre. This is a fairy tale classic. All the kids around the world know this story. A twist would've been awesome w/o ruining the characters of the movie but the freshness and innocence should've been preserved.
