Warning: Spoilers ahead (naks, feeling film critic naman ako dun!)
I was never the type to watch movies on its first day (let alone its first week), but I found myself making an exception for Beauty and the Beast. And I'm also not the type to give long commentaries about a film on social media (nothing wrong with doing so, by the way. It's just not my thing), so I just decided to write about it here instead.
This film has been on my watch list since the news of a remake first broke out, so I thought I would be making a big event out of it. I was planning on watching the animated classic first with my daughters and dressing them up in a Disney princess costume of their choice before we head to the cinemas for the live action remake. Afterwards, we would have a "Be Our Guest" inspired tea party, complete with cupcakes and scones (joke lang yung scones. More like donuts siguro). But alas, we watched the movie as a sort of a spur of the moment decision last night (the husband and I were planning to watch another movie and we just brought the girls along, expecting them to be sleeping inside the theater, but we weren't allowed inside because of the R-16 rating), with the girls in their pajamas.
I'm not going to lie and say it was a remarkable experience for the kids. My girls fell asleep before the second half of the film. In our defense, they woke up really early that day and it was already past their bedtime (we caught the last full show). However, the film captured our daughters' attention within the first five minutes and that's quite good for a non-animated show, since my kids are only ages two and four. I could say Nash was entertained for the most part, at least until her body clock got the better of her. I asked her the next day if she liked the movie, she said she did but she fell asleep.
If, like me, you've seen the Disney classic countless times (thanks to my daughters, I know the words to all the songs by heart), you'll be amused to know that the remake got most of the dialogue on point, with a few tweaks to make it sound more dated and sophisticated (or does anything Emma Watson say sound sophisticated?). They also added some elements to thicken the story line, such as providing some back story about the Beast's childhood and even some reference to the historical French plagues (which has something to do with Belle's past).
The Be Our Guest scene was, in millennial-speak, LIT. The whole production number surpassed everything that I had imagined it would be before watching the movie. The flatware was indeed, entertaining. It was like Sofitel buffet meets Cirque du Soleil for three minutes. Busog na busog yung mga mata ko. I even had a major tita moment when they showed Mrs. Potts hopping along while the camera pans to the delectable cakes for dessert (it gave me some ideas for a future cupcake and tea shop). The scene in the ballroom (where the theme song was sung) was also nothing short of spectacular. It gave me all the feels. And I never really cared for Belle's dress in the animated version (yellow is not my color), but I'm having daydreams about this new one. I also fell in love with the new song, "How Does A Moment Last Forever."
I liked how the characters were portrayed with much more depth in this live-action retelling. That Belle, aside from being the odd girl in the village, was also a promising inventor and Beast was not just this cursed prince who can't read. But if there was one major game-changer in this movie, it's probably the redemption of Le Fou, played by Josh Gad (who, as we all know, voiced Olaf in Frozen), from being the villain's dumb and loyal (to a fault) sidekick to an openly gay man with a conscience. Kudos to Disney for having the guts to transcend stereotypes.
While some men (my husband and some guys) felt that the film was lacking the magical feel, especially the part where the beast was levitating and transforming back to his human form (I was kind of expecting the prince to be taller, with silkier hair, but that's just me), I actually found this version quite good and whimsical enough for a live-action fairy tale. I was enchanted, to say the least. This is the best retelling of a Disney classic that I have seen so far. Ginalingan ng Disney, mga bes. I'm excited to see what they will do for my other favorites, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin.
The 31-year old me loved the new Beauty and the Beast movie. I'm pretty sure the seven-year old me would love it too. As for the real little girls in this story, they will be watching the film again this weekend, most probably in the afternoon so they don't fall asleep.
P.S. Luke Evans was awesome as Gaston. That dreamy voice and smolder is definitely the stuff of fairy tales.
I was never the type to watch movies on its first day (let alone its first week), but I found myself making an exception for Beauty and the Beast. And I'm also not the type to give long commentaries about a film on social media (nothing wrong with doing so, by the way. It's just not my thing), so I just decided to write about it here instead.
(photo from IMDB)
This film has been on my watch list since the news of a remake first broke out, so I thought I would be making a big event out of it. I was planning on watching the animated classic first with my daughters and dressing them up in a Disney princess costume of their choice before we head to the cinemas for the live action remake. Afterwards, we would have a "Be Our Guest" inspired tea party, complete with cupcakes and scones (joke lang yung scones. More like donuts siguro). But alas, we watched the movie as a sort of a spur of the moment decision last night (the husband and I were planning to watch another movie and we just brought the girls along, expecting them to be sleeping inside the theater, but we weren't allowed inside because of the R-16 rating), with the girls in their pajamas.
I'm not going to lie and say it was a remarkable experience for the kids. My girls fell asleep before the second half of the film. In our defense, they woke up really early that day and it was already past their bedtime (we caught the last full show). However, the film captured our daughters' attention within the first five minutes and that's quite good for a non-animated show, since my kids are only ages two and four. I could say Nash was entertained for the most part, at least until her body clock got the better of her. I asked her the next day if she liked the movie, she said she did but she fell asleep.
If, like me, you've seen the Disney classic countless times (thanks to my daughters, I know the words to all the songs by heart), you'll be amused to know that the remake got most of the dialogue on point, with a few tweaks to make it sound more dated and sophisticated (or does anything Emma Watson say sound sophisticated?). They also added some elements to thicken the story line, such as providing some back story about the Beast's childhood and even some reference to the historical French plagues (which has something to do with Belle's past).
The Be Our Guest scene was, in millennial-speak, LIT. The whole production number surpassed everything that I had imagined it would be before watching the movie. The flatware was indeed, entertaining. It was like Sofitel buffet meets Cirque du Soleil for three minutes. Busog na busog yung mga mata ko. I even had a major tita moment when they showed Mrs. Potts hopping along while the camera pans to the delectable cakes for dessert (it gave me some ideas for a future cupcake and tea shop). The scene in the ballroom (where the theme song was sung) was also nothing short of spectacular. It gave me all the feels. And I never really cared for Belle's dress in the animated version (yellow is not my color), but I'm having daydreams about this new one. I also fell in love with the new song, "How Does A Moment Last Forever."
The enchanting dress (photo from IMDB)
(photo from IMDB)
While some men (my husband and some guys) felt that the film was lacking the magical feel, especially the part where the beast was levitating and transforming back to his human form (I was kind of expecting the prince to be taller, with silkier hair, but that's just me), I actually found this version quite good and whimsical enough for a live-action fairy tale. I was enchanted, to say the least. This is the best retelling of a Disney classic that I have seen so far. Ginalingan ng Disney, mga bes. I'm excited to see what they will do for my other favorites, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin.
The 31-year old me loved the new Beauty and the Beast movie. I'm pretty sure the seven-year old me would love it too. As for the real little girls in this story, they will be watching the film again this weekend, most probably in the afternoon so they don't fall asleep.
(photo from IMDB)
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