There are certain films that I genuinely enjoy, even if I feel a little guilty for enjoying it as much as I do. One film that falls under this category is definitely Beautiful Creatures. I really enjoyed this film and have lost all objectivity to be able to decide if this was actually a good film or not. Maybe in the process of writing this column, I can figure it out.
As the film begins, we are introduced to Ethan Wate, played by Alden Ehrenreich. He admits, through some admittingly witty narration, he's been having recurring dreams about a girl he doesn't know and he can't shake them. Of course, he soon enough meets the girl, Lena Duchannes (played by Alice Englert), who turns out to be the niece of the town shut in and just moved to town.
Ethan winds up finding Lena stranded on the side of the road later that day and gives her a ride home. Immediately smitten, he continues to get to know her and her uncle, Macon Ravenwood (played by Jeremy Irons). He soon discovers that she, along with the rest of her family, is a witch or as they prefer to be called, Casters (Yeah, I know, I rolled my eyes too). Due to a curse dating back to the civil war, she is due to be claimed for either the dark side or the light side on her birthday unless they can figure out how to break the curse.
Complicating matters is the appearance of Lena's cousin, Ridley (played by Emmy Rossum at her sexy bad girl best). She was claimed for the dark side and brings with her Lena's mother, who is no longer able to take human form but instead possesses Ethan's friend Link's mother, played by Emma Thompson (overacting within an inch of her life and loving every minute of it). They are bound and determined to ensure Lena is claimed for the dark side.
The film is another in a long line of Teen Supernatural Romance adaptations, but I think this one works a bit better than some other adaptations. It's more colorful and has more flavor to it than some others in the genre. I also was able to get far more invested in the central romance of Ethan and Lena, probably in a large part because they are played far more engagingly by Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert than some other of the genre's offerings (I'm looking at you, Twilight). The film also takes place in South Carolina, so it gives the actors a chance to sink their teeth into some admittingly over-wrought Southern accents, but at the same time just adds to the over the top fun of the film.
Of course, the supporting cast is top notch too with the aforementioned Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson and Emmy Rossum. But there is also Viola Davis as Amma, who is the curator of the Caster library and was a friend of Ethan's late mother. She may just be my favorite character of the film. Of course, that may just be because I love Viola Davis. But she does have some of the best lines in the film.
After thinking it over as I wrote this article, I can say without a doubt I did genuinely enjoy this film. Yeah, it has it's faults. It's not perfect, but it is a lot of fun, with colorful characters, witty dialogue and is one of better additions to the ever growing teen paranormal romance genre.
No comments:
Post a Comment