Die Schöne und das Biest

Es ist ein Musical, bei dem die Lieder die schon so einfache Geschichte nicht vertiefen, sondern sie noch mehr und mehr verlangsamen. Und es sind wirklich viele da. Die visuelle Seite ist wirklich schön, mit dem vielleicht treuesten Retro-Zauber à la der ursprüngliche Der Zauberer von Oz. Und dazu mit der schönsten Prinzessin Emma Watson, welche für diese Rolle geboren wurde. Ein Spoiler: Am meisten werde ich mich an den Schock erinnern, als vor dem Abschluss auf der Leinwand Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen und Emma Thompson erschienen sind und mir bewusst wurde, dass ich anstatt ihrer Stimmen die ganze zwei Stunden tschechische Versionen der Lieder gehört habe. Eine IMAX-Premiere kann man nicht ablehnen, aber diesmal habe ich mir einen synchronisierten Film wirklich zum letzten Mal im Leben angesehen. Sonst hat der Film ein ausgezeichnetes 3D (das Schneien!) und sein Format ist für das IMAX wie geschaffen. (15.03.2017)

That back in the day I liked La La Land was probably amplified by the fact that, as a musical, the score was beautiful and on top of that, the movie offered a bit of fatefulness, which is something I don’t find much with musicals these days. Because I am not normally a fan of musicals… actually not at all. Well and this version of the Beauty and the Beast is exactly the kind of the bitter-sweet American musical, which is definitely good in all respects, but which gives you nothing more than that. At most, there is the visual aspect in the form of talking furniture, which is nice, but which definitely does not save the movie at all. It is incredibly average… (15.12.2017)

It will probably be a hit and little girls will like it, but I have a feeling that the world would function without any problems without the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast. Emma Watson is great, the special effects are opulent, and the production design is fantastic, but due to its excessive running time, the film starts to lose its breath in the middle and doesn't have much to tell. Yes, there are the familiar songs, but half of them are only there because they were in the animated version. And the cute talking furniture stops being entertaining after a few minutes, and when the candelabras, teapots, and clocks take up the entire space in front of the camera, it becomes quickly tiresome. A huge digital mess. But it is still a proper romantic fairytale that actually offers exactly what you expect from it. Cinderella has more likeable characters, The Jungle Book is funnier and more thrilling, but I probably never expected more from a live-action Beauty and the Beast than what we got in the cinema. So in the end, it's probably okay. And Luke Evans is amazing. (15.05.2017)

The work done in the fairy tale and musical aspects is absolutely outstanding, while the costumes, set design, choreography, and Emma Watson's eyes are captivating, and the music enchants the heart more and more. This film fulfilled everything that was promised during the long wait. (21.03.2017)

I'd been meaning to go see Beauty and the Beast. Just for Emma. But somehow I found myself in a theater watching a dubbed movie. And that half killed the movie for me. I have no idea how it would have been in the original, but I had a hard time with most of the songs in the Czech version. Otherwise, I have no major complaints about the film. The filmmakers stuck pretty closely to the source material, the cast is great, and the effects are pretty good too. (17.04.2017)

I like fairy tales. But I don't think this was a fairy tale. From the beginning, I had questions about the plot and what was going on, rather than enjoying the movie. Unfortunately, the movie didn't grab me at all, the songs left me unimpressed (and I like musicals possibly even more than fairy tales), and they were at times long-winded, which the rest of the movie was, too. It didn't flow at all, I had to stop it halfway through to browse the internet just to take a break from it. The movie just didn't work at all. How did it even deal with time? I watched it with my guy and he was even more annoyed than I was. Nothing but comments about this and that, even though he's a pretty undemanding viewer. *SPOILER* For example, Gaston's fall... that one was much ado about nothing, they could easily have had him trip and it would have had the same effect. Pretty unsuccessful for me. A weaker 2 stars. (04.09.2017)

Die Neuverfilmung des klassischen Disney-Zeichentrickfilms ist eine Kategorie für sich. Einige Ideen wurden hier besser umgesetzt, andere wurden unterdrückt. Die zweite Hälfte funktioniert dank der Änderungen ein bisschen besser. An manchen Stellen ist es ein schrecklicher Kitsch, absolut furchtbar, und das Casting ist schrecklich. Vor allem bei Emma Watson, die zwar das perfekte Mädchen von nebenan ist, aber keineswegs eine universelle Schönheit. Oder Luke Ewans? Schade, dass er nur so einen Operetten-Bösewicht spielt. Glücklicherweise wurde das Thema so oft behandelt, dass es keinen Grund zur Verzweiflung gibt. Außer Disney kann man sich beispielsweise folgende Filme anschauen: das impressionistische Werk Es war einmal - Die Schöne und die Bestie, den tschechischen Film Die Jungfrau und das Ungeheuer oder den modernen Film Die Schöne und das Biest, der zwar wie ein Disney-Klon aussieht, aber im Gegenteil rein französisch ist. (02.04.2024)

Ich hatte den Original-Disney-Film aus dem Jahr 1991 nicht gesehen und ging daher völlig unbeschrieben, aber auch voller Vorfreude an die neue Version von Die Schöne und das Biest heran, denn ähnliche Filme aus den letzten Jahren wie Cinderella und Maleficent haben mich fasziniert und verzaubert. Nachdem ich den Film gesehen habe, kann ich mit Fug und Recht behaupten, dass es den Filmemachern gelungen ist, einen äußerst charmanten Film voller schöner Szenen, schöner Lieder und vielfältiger Charaktere zu schaffen. Ich muss auch die Einbeziehung von rassischen und sogar sexuellen Minderheiten in den Film begrüßen. Ein angenehmes und sympathisches Märchen, das mit allen Farben spielt und alle Töne erklingen lässt, die im Durchschnitt sicher nicht untergehen werden. (02.04.2017)

I can't help but feel that making a remake of an animated film that is already good and just giving it a visually stunning live-action adaptation isn't enough for me to be truly excited about the film. Beauty and the Beast is not a bad movie, but it's not a great movie either. Plus, the story just ends badly. He should have stayed in animal form. (05.06.2017)

I've loved the original since I was a child, and I know every scene by heart, so maybe I was too critical the first time I watched this film. At its core, this tale has everything the original has, and then some. Let's start with the songs, Alan Menken created a musical masterpiece in 1991, his songs are captivating and immortal, listening to them always warms my heart. In 2017, he adds a couple of new ones that are also melodic, easy to remember, and that keep the spirit of the original songs. They also added some pretty good new scenes that explain a bit more about the main characters. As for the cast, I was very happy with Dan Stevens, he convinced me of his acting qualities a long time ago and he portrays the Beast beautifully, and they also did a great job translating his real facial expressions to the final beast form – but more of the visual effects later. Emma Watson seemed a bit too stiff at times, but otherwise she handled it well, including the singing. The best is perhaps Luke Evans, who physically and vocally resembles his animated character the most and his antics are very enjoyable. I'm incredibly ashamed that I didn't recognize Ewan McGregor – and I've listened to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack at least a thousand times – he handled the French accent brilliantly. The rest of the cast is just perfect, including Ian McKellen, who will always be a heartthrob of mine. Finally, I'll mention the visuals, which are a chapter in themselves. In the cinema I regretted not having my glasses with me to enjoy the wonderful effects sharply enough. The "Be our guest" scene was the one I was most curious about and it exceeded my expectations – what am I going to go into here, absolutely all the visuals were simply amazing, from the aforementioned Beast, to the village, to the castle decorations, to Bella's iconic dress, everything. (29.05.2017)