Film Reviews: Beauty and the Beast and Ghost in the Shell

Beauty and the Beast
3 April 2017
129 mins
Bill Condon (Director)
Dan Stevens, Emma Watson, Luke Evans
PG
Family/Fantasy/Musical

An adaptation of the fairy tale about a monstrous-looking prince and a young woman who fall in love. (IMDB Synopsis)

Overall, I enjoyed this live-action adaptation of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. The film stuck more to the music from the original animation, ignoring the additional songs from the stage version, though there was a new number for Dan Steven's as the Beast. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to sing along, and the makeup and effects all looked good. Emma Watson didn't blow me away, but she was fine as Belle. Meanwhile, Dan Stevens and Luke Evans both performed well as her two prospective love interests. The only thing I wasn't sure about was the additional subplot regarding Belle's dead mother, as it seemed unnecessary, but that is a minor gripe. This is definitely a film I would buy on DVD and want to watch again and again. And at least at home I'll be able to sing along!

Ghost in the Shell

3 April 2017
107 mins
Rupert Sanders (Director)
Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, Michael Pitt
PG-13
Action/Fantasy/Drama

In the near future, Major is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible crash, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world's most dangerous criminals. (IMDB Synopsis)

I came to this film with no real knowledge of the source material; I was simply inspired by the trailer. On the whole, Ghost in the Shell was a pleasing sci-fi/fantasy action flick, with a kick-ass heroine, great effects, and a gripping plot. The highlight was Scarlett Johansson's performance, but the secondary characters all gave her ample support, especially Pilou, whose character I liked a lot. Perhaps nothing Oscar-worthy or groundbreaking here, but it was still a great two hours of fun.