Beastly

Title: Beastly

Length: 1 hour and 33 minutes

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Official Site: http://beastlythemovie.com
 

I know this isn't the actually poster for the movie, but I absolutely love this picture of them together.  So very sweet.  Plus, Alex is extremely hot here.  *sighing and drooling*  My first warning to anyone who has read the book first: this movie does not stay true to the book.  They added a few new things and took some parts out to pace the movie.  In my opinion, it was done well and made sense overall. 

Kyle Kingston is the most popular guy at his school and is running for president of the Green Committee.  Kendra (the witch) didn't believe that someone who had no real interest in the environment should be elected and let her displeasure be heard.  To get back at her for smearing him, Kyle invited her to go with him to a party.  At the party, he humiliated her in front of everyone.  Kendra expected this and cursed him to turn into a "beast".  He had a year to find someone to love him or he would remain a beast forever.

The characters were cast well even though it wasn't the way I envisioned them.  Even though I think Vanessa Hudgens was not my ideal Lindy, but she acted rather well.  I especially love the side characters more than the leads.  Mary Kate Olsen played an awesome witch, Kendra.  The way she moved, talk and gothic look was streamlined and natural.  I was completely blown away by performance.  I wouldn't want her as an enemy.  LisaGay, as Zola, and Neil Patrick Harrison, as Will, were great supporters for Kyle.  They gave a human edge to an otherwise dismal situation.  Harrison was funny and played his part as a blind man well.  Alex Pettyfer has the looks for the part.  I wasn't sure why he had to take off his shirt off half the time in the movie.  (Maybe an influence from Twilight?)  For a new actor, he was decent.  I think he wasn't as angtsy as I expected.  Don't get me wrong.  He pulled the funny scenes and the scenes with Lindy perfectly.  I think he could have shown more anger and despair than he was able to convey.  Also, the beast wasn't what I expected.  I visualized something more gruesome.  Maybe I 'm sick in the head.  XD  Vanessa Hudgens was pretty decent as Lindy.  Lindy is seen and used more here than in the book.  Which is appreciated to show that Kyle developed his feelings a long time ago and Lindy did like Kyle at the start as well.  

It's a modern Beauty and the Beast tale.  The plot was overall good.  There were some weak spots in the middle but as soon as Lindy was introduced after Kyle was turned into a beast, the movie became a bit more romantic and fun to watch Kyle try to woo Lindy's love.  I like how the writers incorporated the usual feelings of the high school set.  Especially the dreaded "friend" word.  I couldn't help but sympathize and laugh.  Like I said earlier, this movie could have been a bit stronger with a bit more dialogue and humor.  (My best example would be Harry Potter movie #7.  It was the slow, first part of the last book, but it was written in a way to showcase all the action with some great deadpan humor.)  At the end of the movie, it was sweet.  Different from the original ending.  It wasn't as dramatic but it worked.  The funny part was that I was so use to the Beast Kyle, that it was weird to see him as the same old Kyle.

I couldn't quite give this a 4 since there were some parts of the movie that wasn't as great as it could be.  Some scenes were perfect for additional humor or drama and the writers missed the chance to showcase these actors.  And there were parts where nothing is happening.  I knew this of course.  That was the problem with the book.  It was better than a 3 because I did enjoy it and will get it on DVD when it comes out.  It accomplished my "aww" factor at the end of the movie.  Hence, the 3.5 stars.

I recommend this to people who have read this book and love it.  If you like sweet young love and fairy tales, you'll like this too.  If you want a riveting plot, pass this up.  It's not for everyone.  I wouldn't suggest seeing this for anything over $9.  For $5-6, it's definitely worth seeing.  

On a side note, the movies is based on "Beastly" by Alex Flinn.  

I loved the book.  I have read it a million times.  And when I heard they were making a movie based on Beastly, I was extremely excited.  Then I was extremely disappointed they released the movie a year later than its original release date.  So that's why I couldn't wait to drag my sister to see this movie with me.  I know the book had its flaws, so I kind of expected it in the movie as well.  But please check out the book.  It's a great read.