This live action version of the Disney classic stars Emma Watson as the plucky Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast. It’s big and lavish, with sweeping (sometimes almost dizzying) camerawork and extravagant visuals (although more artificial and less sumptuous). Even though it runs a bit too long, there’s plenty of energy. The love story has moments of warmth, but the living props provide the fun, along with Josh Gad’s comic relief (the studio’s first obviously gay character). The songs, the costumes, the sets: all lovely. Still, the film lacks that that extra dazzle quality that made the original so successful.
(3.5 / 5)