Rated
PG-13 (Violence, Scary Images and Some Sexual Material)
Running
Time: 2 Hours & 4 Minutes
Cast-
Alden
Ehrenreich-Ethan Lawson Wate
Alice
Englert-Lena Duchannes
Jeremy
Irons-Macon Melchizedek Ravenwood
Emma
Thompson-Mrs. Lincoln/Sarafine
Viola
Davis-Amarie 'Amma' Treadeau
Emmy
Rossum-Ridley Duchannes
Thomas
Mann-Link
Zoey
Deutch-Emily Asher
Eileen
Atkins-Gramma
Margo
Martindale-Aunt Del
Kyle
Gallner-Larkin Ravenwood
Tiffany
Boone-Savannah Snow
Rachel
Brosnahan-Genevieve Duchannes
Sam
Gilroy-Ethan Carter Wate
Directed
by Richard LaGravenese
 |
| Now I just have to replace Alden Ehrenreich's face with mine... |
Note: Screened on Monday, February 11, 2013, at AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13.
Love
it or hate it, Stephenie Meyer's Twilight
series and the film adaptations it inspired left an indelible mark on both literature
and cinema, with the novels selling in excess of 116 million copies worldwide
since October 2010 and the films grossing a gargantuan $3.3 billion. It wasn't
just the fans whose hearts were set on fire by the vampire/human/werewolf love
triangle, it was studio executives as well. With last year's "Breaking
Dawn Part 2" concluding the "Twilight" film series (surprisingly
on a high note), Hollywood studios are now scrambling to repeat Summit
Entertainment's success. One of those studios is Alcon Entertainment and
they're banking on "Beautiful Creatures," based on the 2009 young
adult novel of the same name from Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, to be a big
hit at the box office. I don't follow young adult fiction very closely so my
first exposure to "Beautiful Creatures" was at New York Comic Con
last October where the cast and crew introduced an exclusive trailer for the
audience. The film was clearly an attempt to fill the void left by
"Twilight" but I admit that it had my interest even though I was not
the target demographic. While it's unlikely to turn into the massive phenomenon
that "Twilight" was, "Beautiful Creatures" remains
surprisingly enjoyable thanks to its intriguing world, scenery-chewing
performances (especially from Jeremy Irons and Emma Thompson) and a winking
self awareness that manages to overcome its familiar tale of angst-ridden,
adolescent love.
Living in the remote (fictional) town of Gatlin, South
Carolina, seventeen-year-old Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich) is eager to start
his junior year of high school, taking him one step closer to fulfilling his
dream of leaving home and traveling the world. When he's not in class, Ethan
spends his days avidly reading books banned by the community while taking care
of his invalid father with the help of Amarie 'Amma' Treadeau (Viola Davis),
who also runs the local library. Ugly rumors begin to swirl when Macon
Ravenwood's (Jeremy Irons) niece, Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert), arrives in
town but Ethan is immediately smitten with her, much to the chagrin of his
ex-girlfriend, Emily Asher (Zoey Deutch). At first, Ethan has trouble
befriending Lena as she believes that he is like all the other students who
talk behind her back but slowly, she warms up to him. The two eventually fall
madly in love but forces beyond their control soon threaten to tear them apart
when Lena reveals that she is a Caster, or witch, and that on her sixteenth
birthday, she will be 'claimed' for either the Light or the Dark. Making
matters worse is the arrival of Lena's mother Sarafine (Emma Thompson), a powerful
Dark Caster who hopes to turn her daughter onto a path of evil by exploiting a
curse that dates back to the Civil War.
"Beautiful Creatures" may
look like warmed leftovers from "Twilight" and in many respects, it
is, but it differs in one crucial area and that's the tone. With the exception
of the last installment, the remaining four "Twilight" films often
suffered from an overly morose atmosphere and it was hard to get caught up in
the romance when your two main characters had as much emotion as a rock. Fortunately,
Richard LaGravenese's film manages to avoid this problem as Ethan and Lena are
much livelier in terms of personality but its biggest success is that "Beautiful
Creatures" doesn't take itself too seriously, finding the humor amongst
its twangy Southern accents and ridiculous costumes yet holds back enough to
prevent the material from turning into a total farce. Even when the film is at
its most nonsensical, it remains stylish and surprisingly engaging. Although the
script from LaGravenese follows the general blueprint set forth in
"Twilight," it's been given a Southern Gothic twist (not a surprise
considering all the references to Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird) and the perspective has been switched to a
male as opposed to a female. The supernatural elements, with its themes of
choice and destiny, aren't entirely original. The idea of having 'light' and
'dark' Casters reminded me of "Star Wars" and even "X-Men"
given their ostracized status in society. Certain aspects, such as how 'The Claiming'
chooses its Casters to go 'light' or 'dark' feel underdeveloped but the world
that Garcia and Stohl built is an intriguing one, brought vividly to life by
LaGravenese and his talented production team. Despite its promise of an epic
confrontation between Lena and Sarafine, the climax is a bit of a letdown and
ends rather abruptly. Whether it will kick-start a franchise is still up in the
air but enough of the story's plot threads is resolved to allow "Beautiful
Creatures" to stand on its own while leaving the door open for a sequel.
One
of the reasons the film works is the chemistry between Alden Ehrenreich and
Alice Englert. The two may be unfamiliar to general audiences yet they manage
to give likable performances despite their novice status. You actually do feel
for their plight and want them to be together. Ehrenreich's Ethan Wate is
absolutely delightful, exhibiting a sort of boyish charm that's both awkward
and sweet. Englert's Lena has a moody quirkiness that I found appealing. She's
like the shy girl in your class that you secretly had a crush on. The rest of
the supporting cast is filled by some very big names. Jeremy Irons and Emma
Thompson go way over-the-top with their scenery chewing; their characters'
verbal sparring in a church is worth the price of admission alone. As Amma,
Viola Davis is largely reduced to dolling out exposition but still brings a
measure of depth to her role. Emmy Rossum goes full Dark Side (complete with
glowing yellow eyes like Emperor Palpatine) as Lena's cousin Ridley. Rossum
makes quite an impression despite appearing in only a handful of scenes.
To be
released on February 14, 2013, "Beautiful Creatures" has received
mixed reviews so far with 47% on Rotten Tomatoes. The advance screening on
Monday didn't exactly draw a huge crowd, which doesn't bode well for its box
office prospects, especially since its going up against an established franchise
with "A Good Day to Die Hard" and competing for the same audience as
"Safe Haven." Plus, the marketing hasn't really done enough to distinguish
it from "Twilight." Still, it'll likely be a moderate success and
hopefully lead to a green-light on the sequel as I actually do want to know
what happens next. "Beautiful Creatures" definitely caught me by
surprise. It doesn't offer anything remotely original but LaGravenese manages
to create a fun film that hits more than it misses.
Final
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
"You want to be a normal human? What do you think that is? We don't have powers to just change things whenever we like. Being human is feeling bad. Its feeling pissed off. Its feeling scared and not being able to do anything about it until you don't feel that way anymore, until you can just see your way out of it. And I yelled at you because I care about you. That's what normal people do when they love each other when one of them is acting like a brat. Now would you please stop raining on me?!"
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