The movies I'll be reviewing today are Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, Colossal starring Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 starring Chris Pratt and Zoe Salanda. Without further ado, here we go!
Beauty and the Beast
Release Date: March 17, 2017Run Time: 2 hours, 19 minutes
Genre: Fantasy/Romance, retelling of the original Beauty and the Beast, which was released in 1991.
Rating: PG
The original Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney films. Though it isn't my all time favorite, it is up there! When I walked into the theater for the 2017 version, I tried to lower my expectations. I heard that the new Beauty and the Beast was basically an exact reiteration of the original, and didn't add much to the story. And though that is true, the movie was beautiful. The acting was done well, and the set pieces and costumes were stunning. However, the movie is nothing special, because it is the essentially an exact replica of the original. I'm sure that in 1991 when the movie was first made, people applauded the film for it's originality, animation, songs, and so on. The originality that made Beauty and the Beast so great the first time is lost the second go around. Though I enjoyed myself while watching the live action Beauty and the Beast, it didn't entrance me because I had already seen the movie countless of times. I felt like I already saw the movie when I was watching it. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn't get me too excited either. I give Beauty and the Beast a B.
Colossal
Release Date:April 7, 2017Run Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction Film, also deals with real-life themes, such as addiction
Rating: R
Colossal is my biggest surprise out of these three, and of the whole year so far. I wasn't expecting to love it at all, but I did! The plot is super weird, so be prepared. Colossal follows Gloria, played by Anne Hathaway, who is an alcoholic. She is kicked out of her boyfriend's apartment and moves back to her childhood home. She bumps into a childhood friend, Oscar, who is played by Jason Sudeikis. While Gloria tries to get her life back on track, a monster is attacking Seoul in South Korea. Gloria realizes that her and the monster are somehow connected, which adds a whole other layer to the story. So yes, that plot is WEIRD. But it works perfectly. Instead of being a downcast movie about addiction, the monster aspect adds some much needed light hearted-ness while also making the movie more impactful. The realism and fantasy interweave themselves masterfully, and I was fully invested in this movie. I thought the acting was wonderful, as well as the plot and the end of the film. I can see Colossal becoming a cult classic in the future. The only reason it didn't get an A was because of the side characters. I felt as if some of them were used to further along the plot line and/or were one dimensional. Nothing can be perfect, but this movie came close to it! I give Colossal an A minus.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Release Date: May 5, 2017Run Time: 2 hours, 18 minutes
Genre: Superhero, Sci/fi Action
Rating: PG-13
Last but certainly not least is Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2!! Now, Guardians of the Galaxy is one of my favorite Marvel movies, but I liked this second installment even more. I can't say much, because as I'm sure you are aware, all the movies intersect and this is a sequel. The guardians (Peter Quill, Gamora, Groot, Rocket, Drax) team up with some others characters from the first volume and need to defeat a big evil bad guy. And that is as detailed as I'm going to get. The magic of Guardians lies within it's characters. All of them are so well developed, and I care for each and every one of them. The movie does such a good job making the audience empathize and relate to everyone, even if a character doesn't get too much screen time. The humor for Guardians was spot on, and I laughed out loud regularly throughout the film. I would say this second volume pulled on my heartstrings more than the first, and I cried a handful of times. I just loved this, and I can't wait to see the characters again! I give Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 an A.
At the end of the day, all of these movies are good and I recommend watching all of them as long as you are a fan of the genre. I don't know which my favorite would be: Colossal or Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Though I gave Colossal a lower rating, I know that it will be one of those movies that I constantly think about as well as the one I want to own the most. However, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is one of my favorite superhero films to date. Whatever it turns out to be, I hope you get the chance to see the films I reviewed today and like (or love!) them!
Have you seen any of these movies or plan to? What did you think of them?
Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post! Hint: there will be more movie reviews coming!
Happy Reading!
Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!