La belle et la bête (2014) Reviews

• Beauty of a movie but something is missing.

  tmbtm6662014-02-22

  This is an almost perfect version of this well known story but my problem is that we do not feel the growing love of Belle for the beast too much. She's seeing in dreams who was the beast before, so we understand she can fall in love for who he was, but not too much for who he really is. If that makes sens. But all in all it's a very well made movie for all the family. The tone is a bit dark for little kids but always beautiful, as it's usually the case with Gans's movies. The use of CGI is obvious on the creatures, but it's done with good taste, IMO. It's a shame gans does not make more movies, I love his style. It's just that, after all this time waiting for a new movie of him, I wanted a little more substance.

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• Beautiful, but empty

  KawaiiKiwi2014-12-26

  La Belle et la Bête is such a beautiful movie with high production values that it could pass for one of these recent Hollywood blockbusters picking up all those old fairy tales and turning them into live-action movies, but in fact it's a high-end French movie, so unfortunately not as many people will get to see it. Which is a shame, because it really is candy for the eyes. Although a good chunk of the movie is CGI, it really doesn't look like it, and most of the sets look real (unlike 'Maleficient', which also had beautiful imagery, but looked somewhat fake). The Beast's castle and surrounding gardens look magical, and the style reminded me a lot of 'Labyrinth'. The castle's interior decoration is so mesmerizing that it just makes you want to jump into the movie and explore it along with Belle. The music is also one of the movie's strong points, with melodies that really match the movie's beauty. Unfortunately, as beautiful and magical the movie looks and sounds, it feels quite empty. The story is a lot closer to the original tale than the Disney version, with a darker tone, but the love story was put aside in favor of showing the movie's aesthetics. Although the movie slightly dwells into Belle's life and the Beast's past, neither character really feels developed, making it unbelievable that they would fall in love. The movie strongly feels like a scene of connection is missing; one minute they're fighting, the next they're kissing, with absolutely no logic to their love story. Their love is never shown; you as the viewer don't see how they fall in love. A little extra 10 minutes to show their relation would have made all the difference. As it is, it makes no sense these two characters would be together. The Disney version did a better job at showing this. Nonetheless, the movie is still worth a watch for the beautiful visuals if you like the original story; it goes deeper into certain aspects of it, but sadly the love story was lost somewhere along the way. Too bad, because this could have been better than anything Hollywood could have brought us, if only they had put a little more effort into building the two main characters.

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• Captivating and enchanting fantasy, beautiful but not faultless

  ArchonCinemaReviews2015-01-04

  La Belle et la Bete has all the whimsical magic and fantasy of a captivating fairy tale but with the humanity of a feature adaptation. There is just something about these fables that have the ability to touch the audience's heart. La Belle et la Bete (Beauty and the Beast) brings the French fairy tale to life in an equally as wondrous but more realistic manner than the Disney classic. American audiences will recognize the story without confusion as only minor changes are made with Christophe Gans's adaptation. A once prestigious and wealthy sea merchant (André Dussollier) is left disgraced and penniless when his three cargo ships go missing. With everything confiscated by the banks to compensate for his debts, the newly destitute family retreats to the provincial countryside. The merchant and father becomes lost when returning from a trip to the city. Seeking refuge, he finds shelter in a mysterious but magical castle. Overstepping the castle's generosity, the father must trade une vie pour une rose, a life for a rose. The French film La Belle et la Bete is what I had so desperately desired but failed to receive from Disney's Maleficent. Though it does not attempt to reinvent the tale from an alternative perspective, La Belle et la Bete does give audiences a refreshingly real story rather than a romanticized but far fetched fable. In every scene and with every single frame, director Christophe Gans captures the magical and otherworldly awe inherent in a fairy tale. The castle's fortress is a maze of crumbling corridors and overgrown staircases that we explore with Belle during the day. From the set design and landscapes to the opulent costumes and cinematography, La Belle et la Bete transports its audiences to a magnificent and enchanting fantasy land. In almost all regards, La Belle et la Bete is an overwhelming success but there are weaknesses in the narrative and film. The CGI is vastly inferior to the rest of the environment of the film and is a distraction. The writers and director do not take the added time to truly cultivate a love story between Belle (Léa Seydoux) and la Bete (Vincent Cassel). For a film that claims its genre to be romance, this is rather a large component and therefore complaint. Further the introduction of the Gaston character and eventual climax at the castle feels rushed and slightly out of place. La Belle et la Bete is a spectacular cinematic experience that should be voraciously devoured by lovers of the fantastical, especially children. (Though there is nudity, it is minimal, tasteful, unavoidable and completely nonsexual.) Please check out our website for all the recent releases reviewed in full.

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• Stunning, but Sluggish

  Sacrifice2014-07-09

  I enjoyed this French version of "Beauty and The Beast" for the most part. The cinematography and character designs are beautiful. I liked the fantasy atmosphere and sense of exploration in the first half of the film. I also liked the mystery of the Beast's origin. I appreciate the fact that it is more accurate to the fairy tale than previous adaptations. That being said, the second half deviates from the original story in a few respects and I found it sluggish in some parts. I found the final action sequence a bit too fantastical and left unexplained except via Deus Ex Machina. However, it certainly looks impressive. Ultimately, the film isn't perfect. The story has been done many times before and this rendition is sluggish at times. Never-the-less, I recommend watching the film for its stunning beauty alone.

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• Good...not great.

  MartinHafer2014-07-04

  The story "Beauty and the Beast" is a classic. However, there is no one definitive version. Instead, it's a folk tale that's been passed down for generations until a very popular version was written by a couple women well over two centuries ago. And, since then, other versions have also been written. I mention this because if you watch ANY version of the story, you must accept that they will be different. This version is very different from the two most famous versions, Disney's and "Belle et Bête" (1946) by Jean Cocteau...and that's okay with me. This new French version is different from many other versions because it concentrates much more on the family's back story and how awful Belle's siblings are. This is a highly dysfunctional family and the father seems oblivious to the monsters he's helped to create. All are monsters, except for Belle. And eventually, you learn that the father isn't all that wonderful either. When he's lost in the forest in the cold, he seeks shelter in what looks like an abandoned castle. However, after eating like a pig from the sumptuous dining table, the guy begins stealing stuff from the place. He says it's because it's abandoned...but the food was warm and obviously the guy was just a thief. On the way out, he stops to pick a single rose for his sweet daughter--and that is when the beast appears and tells him of his punishment. He will be allowed to return home to put his things in order, but he MUST return to be the creature's prisoner. But, when Belle learns of this, she bolts to the castle--offering up herself instead. As for the rest of the tale, it's NOT what you'd expect. There is a story involving Belle's crappy brother and some money-lenders as well as the creature's back story. Unlike most versions, this one slowly reveals bits and pieces of this sad tale and exactly why he's been turned into a beast is quite strange. But again, since there is not one version of the story, such license is understandable. So was this film worth seeing? Well, yes and no. It's far from the best version I've seen but it is worth your time. Major pluses are how beautiful the film is in many places as well as a few changes to the generally accepted story. I appreciate how Belle's father really DID deserve to be punished, whereas in other versions Beast just seems mean and unfair in punishing the old guy. But, what didn't thrill me was the amount of extra story. With all the subplots and back story, so much of the romance between Belle and Beast is missing--and her falling for him seems to make far less sense. Plus, while some will love all the CG, I think after a while it was just too much--such as the HUGE creatures that appear at the end and start stomping on everyone as well as the bizarre crazy-eyed puppy creatures! I prefer a simpler version that is a bit smaller in scope and less intense. Call me a romantic at heart, but a bit less would have delivered so much more. By the way, the version I saw DID have English subtitles, but they were not very good in places. Once in particular, I would have misunderstood an important part of the film had I not understood what they were actually saying in French.

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