Beastly [Blu-ray] (2010)

 

 

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Having read the book and seen the movie within a week, I'm here to say that the movie could have been so much better.

As is often the case, the book is always better than the movie. Often, for reasons unknown, the screenwriters/ directors/ producers decided what is worth keeping from the novel and what isn't. And often it is us the readers who are left disappointed with their vision.

So what left me disgruntled was this:

Why make Kyle refuse to learn in the movie? Part of the beauty of the novel was that Kyle found solace in the beauty of books and learning. I loved that he was able to relate his situation to the dark characters he connected to in classic novels. The book emphasized that Kyle went through a process where he began to care about himself as a person and cultivate his mind. Also, this process truly shows the relationship between him and his tutor and it's a very special one. In the movie- Kyle refused to learn and scoffed at books and tutoring. Not only is it a terrible message to the youth marketed for this film- but it also ruins a substantial part of the depth of this character. In the novel, one really feels that Kyle is becoming a better person by committing himself to education and relating his experience to classic literature. AND because of this new-found love- he is able to relate to Lindy and that is one of the reasons they fall in love. This was IMPORTANT! He reads Jane Eyre for the girl because she asks him too. That was a beautiful metaphor, of course, and it was just totally missed in the film.

Why change the character Sloan? In the book, Sloan was the female version of Kyle. There are essential parts of the book where Kyle learns about love and humanity by realizing that Sloan is superficial and was using him for popularity. Even her role at the end was essential to realizing the growth of Kyle. In the movie, they take Sloan and make her into a victim which just doesn't work. At one point Kyle hears Sloan say that she "had to be mean" because she felt Kyle made her that way. This makes Sloan into a nice girl who was forced to torture other people because Kyle forced her too. This just didn't work for me in the plot line. If she really was this nice person under her mean (fake) exterior, then perhaps she would have actually loved Kyle or helped him after his transformation. In the book, she only loves him because he's popular and handsome and when he goes to her, she runs away. This was an important series of events! It was part of his learning process about love and the depth of people. The movie pretty much axed her part and changed her role in the story- therefore taking out another essential slice of the pie.

Why in the world did they change the end of movie?! When I read the book, I found the last pages to be so powerful and amazing. I re-read the ending several times and then sat back, sated, feeling a surge of romantic pleasure. I was really shocked that they removed the best part of the story- which, in essence, was the part that made you, the viewer/reader, realize that Kyle really had "changed" and deserved a second chance at life. What he did for his lady love was so amazing and was such a true sacrifice, I just melted! The movie as it is now just ends sorta ho-hum. An anti-climatic reunion at best.

I've read the critic reviews and nearly all of them say this movie isn't good because the transformation of Kyle just isn't believable. The movie seems silly to them because it has no depth. I think the reason why is because all of the parts of the story that showed his growth and depth were removed. I could go on about parts that are missing, but basically the filmmakers just used the shell of the story and didn't include the meat inside. You can't tell a viewer that the beast has evolved simply by telling them it's so. You have to prove it.

I felt the movie was sorta awesome but always fell short of total awesomeness. I had watched the preview to the film at least a dozen times and, in my mind, I had filled in the movie with so much possibility. I was so excited to see the actors take the depth of the novel and really push their limits to showcase this fairy tale as a real modern-day possibility. But I felt they were often holding back. There were some moments I cheered because I felt the real poignancy of the depth of the story... but overall I felt like the actor's were told to be deep but not too deep.

I don't blame this on Vanessa or Alex. I could almost feel them both wanting to do more. So what happened? Can we do so more filming and add in the parts that were missed to make it a real winner?

This really had potential but I suggest you go read the Beastly Movie Tie-in Edition if you haven't had a chance.

I was a little worried when seeing the previews for this movie that they would demolish yet another good book. However I fell in love. There are enough differences to make it seem like a whole different story of it's own. Yet it's very like the book. Surprisingly Mary-Kate Olsen gives an outstanding performance as Kendra. Pettyfer and Hudges (forgive me if I spell these names wrong) are amazing and the chemistry is so strong there is almost a visible electric current between theme. But the best of all was Niel Patrick Harris, much like Will in the book he is witty and funny, no, HILARIOUS! All the characters are depicted extremely well and I was more than satisfied. I cannot wait for this Blu Ray. I may even see it again.

Considering that this movie got panned by almost every movie critic, I didn't hold out much hope and when my friend drug me to the theater, I must admit, I was groaning inside. But I was pleasantly surprised. Even though there was a good bit of `teenage angst' and it was primarily aimed at the teenage to early 20s age bracket, it was not the high school horror fest I was expecting. Its appeal definitely expands outside of its target audience (I'm well out of my twenties). Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favorite fairy tales and I think anyone from the generation that fondly remembers the TV hit series of the same name, will find a sweetness in this story that transcends the juvenile dialog. I actually really enjoyed this movie. It's not going to win any Oscars, but it's definitely not as bad as the critics would have us believe.

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