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reviewthatMovie: Beastly
Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgens, Lisa Gay Hamilton and Neil Patrick Harris.
Opened Nationwide: March 4, 2011
Stars: 3 1/2
This is a retelling of the story of "Beauty and the Beast", set in New York in the present day.
I was really hoping that I was going to like this film, since I really dig fairy tales and folklore anyway, and any time that someone tries to retell a fairy tale, it makes me happy. Plus, the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast is my niece's favorite movie of all time, so I have a bit of added affection for the story.
While this movie could have gone the way of so many other romantic movies, and lost its focus, I don't think that it did that. I also think that by focusing more on the story's "beast" (instead of on the "beauty") it added a nice twist to the story. So often with remakes of this tale, the writers still focus on the female lead. I suppose that there are plenty of people out there who are more interested in Beauty (or Belle, or whatever we're going to call her), instead of on the Beast. All of the focus that's typically on her does make my mind wonder a bit more about him and all of the things that were going through his head.
I thought that the writers did pretty well in showing not only the reason for why our male lead was the way that he was, but also the process that got him to change. I had a bit of a hard time believing that "beauty" didn't realize who "beast" was (since they already knew each other a bit, and she had just been talking to him before he was changed) I suppose that if you think someone is supposed to look a certain way, and that they are supposed to be somewhere else, your eyes won't see things that may be right in front of them.
Neil Patrick Harris was fantastic throughout (but then, when is he not fantastic. The man can do no wrong, as far as I'm concerned). He brought a lot of humor to the scenes that he was in, and all of it was the type of humor that comes out of someone being a bit socially awkward (and knowing that they're socially awkward, but still trying to get along with people). I wouldn't have minded seeing a bit more of him peppered through the movie.
See this one, at least at a matinee. Might not bring the little kids, but at least the tweens and above might enjoy it.
Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgens, Lisa Gay Hamilton and Neil Patrick Harris.
Opened Nationwide: March 4, 2011
Stars: 3 1/2
This is a retelling of the story of "Beauty and the Beast", set in New York in the present day.
I was really hoping that I was going to like this film, since I really dig fairy tales and folklore anyway, and any time that someone tries to retell a fairy tale, it makes me happy. Plus, the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast is my niece's favorite movie of all time, so I have a bit of added affection for the story.
While this movie could have gone the way of so many other romantic movies, and lost its focus, I don't think that it did that. I also think that by focusing more on the story's "beast" (instead of on the "beauty") it added a nice twist to the story. So often with remakes of this tale, the writers still focus on the female lead. I suppose that there are plenty of people out there who are more interested in Beauty (or Belle, or whatever we're going to call her), instead of on the Beast. All of the focus that's typically on her does make my mind wonder a bit more about him and all of the things that were going through his head.
I thought that the writers did pretty well in showing not only the reason for why our male lead was the way that he was, but also the process that got him to change. I had a bit of a hard time believing that "beauty" didn't realize who "beast" was (since they already knew each other a bit, and she had just been talking to him before he was changed) I suppose that if you think someone is supposed to look a certain way, and that they are supposed to be somewhere else, your eyes won't see things that may be right in front of them.
Neil Patrick Harris was fantastic throughout (but then, when is he not fantastic. The man can do no wrong, as far as I'm concerned). He brought a lot of humor to the scenes that he was in, and all of it was the type of humor that comes out of someone being a bit socially awkward (and knowing that they're socially awkward, but still trying to get along with people). I wouldn't have minded seeing a bit more of him peppered through the movie.
See this one, at least at a matinee. Might not bring the little kids, but at least the tweens and above might enjoy it.
