Tale As Old As Time...Review

Beauty and the Beast 2017 Review

As a child, Beauty and the Beast was my favorite movie. I loved Beauty's gorgeous, princess-like dresses. I loved the talking candlestick and Chip. I loved the magic of the "Be Our Guest" Scene. I loved the final scene, when a kiss turned the Beast into a Prince. 

Perhaps Beauty and the Beast set me up to be both a hopeless romantic and a romance writer.

When I found out the movie was being redone as a live-action movie and Emma Watson would be playing Beauty, I squealed like the five-year-old I still act like. I've been counting down the days until release since I first saw the trailer. Quite simply, I was entranced before even entering the theater.

The movie did not disappoint. Emma Watson played her part beautifully. From her acting to her voice, she did Belle justice. The dresses were just as gorgeous as I could hope. Plus, she captured the defiant yet caring sides of Belle and really enhanced the role. 

The Beast was more frightening in appearance than the one from my childhood, but it also worked well. The personalities of all of the other characters were maintained. I love that they came to life, although I do think Lumiere was cuter as a cartoon than in this movie.

My favorite scene was the "Be Our Guest" song, which literally gave me chills. It was my favorite as a child, so to see it in 3-D was magical. To think about what my five-year-old self would have thought of this scene literally coming to life is a beautiful thought. It was stunning and fun, just like I'd always imagined it to be.

The "Tale as Old as Time" scene was also breathtaking. The dance scene was gorgeous, and I couldn't take my eyes away.

My only complaint is I wish the movie could have been longer. I would have loved to see extra scenes between Beauty and the Beast to build their love story. However, this movie did a great job at sticking to the original while adding some extra information about both characters' backgrounds. I adored this movie and cannot wait to buy it. If you liked the original, you should definitely see this one.

5 out of 5 stars.