Written by Erin Lobner. Media by Bre Pollitt.
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This week, Greenville Papyrus representative, Bre Pollitt, sat down with Logan Murphy to discuss the new live-action, “Beauty and the Beast” remake. Murphy was especially qualified to discuss the movie’s strengths and weaknesses because of his previous role as Gaston in his high school’s “Beauty and the Beast” musical. While he praised the recently released film, he also criticized some aspects that other’s might have missed. This begs the question: Did “Beauty and the Beast” live up to the hype?
“Beauty and the Beast” hit theaters March 16 and brought in close to $700 million already. Many fans were excited to see Emma Watson take to the stage as Belle. The remake featured Luke Evans as Gaston, Dan Stevens as the Beast, Josh Gad as LeFou (Gaston’s sidekick), Ian McKellan as Cogsworth, and Ewan McGregor as Lumiere. While the new film held true to the original’s story line, there were numerous changes. Some of these changes were hardly noticeable while others filled in plot holes and added to the story.
Murphy had a “critic’s mindset” while watching the film. Because of his history playing Gaston, he paid particular attention to the character’s part in the story. When asked if he thought the characters were well-developed, Murphy replied,
I felt like they were good but I definitely wanted to see more of Gaston and LeFou. I felt that their time on screen was cut really short. Gaston was also portrayed as a very serious villain the entire time. There was a lot less light-hearted humor with him and LeFou.”
However, Murphy expressed that he is a fan of Luke Evans and did appreciate his acting in the role. For anyone who had similar thoughts, “Observer’s” Dana Schwartz created a powerpoint illustrating why Belle should have chosen Gaston.
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Many fans, along with Murphy, mentioned an issue with Emma Watson’s accent since it’s not French; her English accent was piercing in her acting and singing. However, this post argues that Watson was born in France, which somewhat removes the issue of not having a French actor play Belle. It also points out that the person’s original voice of Belle was from Florida, and fans never seemed to mind that before.
Murphy also wished that the movie incorporated songs from the “Beauty and the Beast” Broadway musical. But, he was “blown away” by the new addition to the soundtrack, “Evermore,” a song the Beast sang about letting Belle go and waiting for her to come back. It was a heartfelt expression from the Beast, who was more mysterious and inaccessible in the original movie. Even though the movie had some flaws, it was, as Murphy noted, “visually stunning.” The creators remained true to the original movie while adding their own spin on some plot holes and new content.
If you liked the “Beauty and the Beast” remake, you’re in luck. Disney plans to remake 19 of their classic films, starting with “Mulan.” Keep your eyes peeled for more live-action, breathtaking fun!
