I wanted to love this movie, I really did, and it was such a huge disappointment that I absolutely loathed it. I don't care about the Stockholm Syndrome's discussion, that is not what I have a problem with. I had a problem with Belle from the first 5 minutes of the movie. She wants something more from her "provincial life", but all she does is read a book, she does not work; she believes to be better than the "peasants" because she reads instead of, you know, actually working and earning some money. In other words, she is lazy, spoiled and superficial. I wanted to punch by the end of the song.
As if the introduction of the characters weren't bad enough, the premises of the story are dumb. Why didn't the beast kill her father? Why make him prisoner? Why bother? Especially if you want to kill him in the next scene? But I persevered and kept watching, trying not to nit-pick to much. However, I couldn't do it: after being imprisoned, all she did was cry in the room instead of being curious or headstrong considering that she was having the big adventure she wanted; after being freed by Lumière and Cogsworth, she does exactly what she was forbidden to do; after crying the whole time, when it is time to play it safe and choose the library, she is adventurous and goes to the west wing. Is this the Belle everyone love? Do I have it right? As if that was not enough, fans are proud to say that Belle fled and returned of her own volition. She is kicked out of the castle! She did not flee! She returned because the Beast saved her life and she was grateful to him, that's all. She is not in love with him and she has not forgiven him. It is beyond me why she actually stayed though, maybe because of the wolves, I don't know.
Moving on to the Beast. I didn't care about his personality, what I thought though was that he was supposed to be a kid turned into a beast, tight? Then why do we have him learning to be civilised? He should have more manners than Belle considering he is a prince. This is not the Island of Dr. Moreau where beasts learn to be human, because if that was the case he shouldn't know how to speak either. And how come he doesn't know how to read? How did he spend his days? Sleeping? Fans have said that he learns to be civilised because he wants to, not because of Belle...He had 10 years and he only starts now that there is Belle, and you are telling me it is not because of her? This is the same conundrum present in The Little Mermaid, does Ariel goes to the human world because she wanted to or because of the prince? I tend for the latter in both movies. In the end the Beast is not loved for who he is, he needs to change himself to be accepted, so is Belle really loving the Beast?
After that I just shut my brain because everything that followed was too ridiculous. The next day I was still mad, disappointed and sulky, so I ended up watching the French version of 1946. Boy, was that better. I absolutely recommend that version to this one.
As if the introduction of the characters weren't bad enough, the premises of the story are dumb. Why didn't the beast kill her father? Why make him prisoner? Why bother? Especially if you want to kill him in the next scene? But I persevered and kept watching, trying not to nit-pick to much. However, I couldn't do it: after being imprisoned, all she did was cry in the room instead of being curious or headstrong considering that she was having the big adventure she wanted; after being freed by Lumière and Cogsworth, she does exactly what she was forbidden to do; after crying the whole time, when it is time to play it safe and choose the library, she is adventurous and goes to the west wing. Is this the Belle everyone love? Do I have it right? As if that was not enough, fans are proud to say that Belle fled and returned of her own volition. She is kicked out of the castle! She did not flee! She returned because the Beast saved her life and she was grateful to him, that's all. She is not in love with him and she has not forgiven him. It is beyond me why she actually stayed though, maybe because of the wolves, I don't know.
Moving on to the Beast. I didn't care about his personality, what I thought though was that he was supposed to be a kid turned into a beast, tight? Then why do we have him learning to be civilised? He should have more manners than Belle considering he is a prince. This is not the Island of Dr. Moreau where beasts learn to be human, because if that was the case he shouldn't know how to speak either. And how come he doesn't know how to read? How did he spend his days? Sleeping? Fans have said that he learns to be civilised because he wants to, not because of Belle...He had 10 years and he only starts now that there is Belle, and you are telling me it is not because of her? This is the same conundrum present in The Little Mermaid, does Ariel goes to the human world because she wanted to or because of the prince? I tend for the latter in both movies. In the end the Beast is not loved for who he is, he needs to change himself to be accepted, so is Belle really loving the Beast?
After that I just shut my brain because everything that followed was too ridiculous. The next day I was still mad, disappointed and sulky, so I ended up watching the French version of 1946. Boy, was that better. I absolutely recommend that version to this one.