Beauty and The Beast (2017)

Beauty and The Beast (2017) 3D Movie Review

Written By: Adolph Vega

 

3D

Initially the stereoscopic 3D visuals of this movie didn't impress me, but as the movie progressed my opinion changed. It seems like only a few scenes were meant to be in 3D. The 3D is a mixed bag with maybe 50% of the movie having awful and forgettable 3D visuals, and the other 50% having excellent 3D. Scenes with heavy computer graphics really shine in 3D and work with both pop and depth based 3D. Some scenes the camera pans a little too quickly and it become disorienting in 3D. The ballroom dance scene and the "be my guest" dinner scenes both look fantastic in 3D. The 3D really drawns the audience into the scene and make for a more magical viewing experience. 3D depth helps to make the castle seem taller and scarier. One minute the 3D is very impressive and the other minute it is totally worthless. Overall I enjoyed the 3D element of this movie even if it was hit or miss.

Final Verdict: Good 3D

 

Movie

Beauty and the Beast (2017) is essentially a remake of the classic (1991) animated movie of the same name. This isn’t a pure remake because it adds several key new elements to the story and in many ways improves upon the already masterful original animated movie.

This movie is focused on the beautiful young woman named Belle who lives in the French countryside. Belle yearns for more with her life and is portrayed with grace and charm by Emma Watson. The Beast was a prince whose life was changed because of a curse. Their lives intersect when Belle’s father goes missing. Only if the Beast finds true love can his curse be lifted . The characters of Belle and the Beast have fantastic chemistry together and this is a key element of the story . Can Belle help the Beast become normal again? This movie is a musical and is beautifully sung with many familiar songs and a few new ones. "Be my guest" is my favorite song within this movie, and this version is excellently choreographed , is easy to understand and is super catchy. When the song came to an end I wanted to stand up and cheer . Like I said earlier in this review this movie has many new scenes and those scenes work well to plug in previous plot holes from the animated version. The new scenes are touching and are well integrated into the story. The story flows well and feels tight with some excellent character development. Belle's father has so much depth and personality and is very likeable. I appreciate the added depth to the characters and the new scenes only enrich an already excellent story. The computer graphics displayed within this movie are exceptional and I loved how they appeared on screen. When I watched the trailers for this movie I was off put by the computer-generated characters, but as I watched the final product thier appearance didn’t bother me at all. Excellent is the best word to describe this movie, it’s entertaining, smart and a magical cinematic experience that the entire family can enjoy. I hate to compare movies but I feel that this movie is superior to the 1991 animated movie. That being say I consider the 1991 animated Beauty and the Beast movie to be a modern classic and one of the best-animated movies of all time. The fact that this movie excels beyond that excellence is an amazing  achievement, that Walt Disney would proud of. The movie feels both familiar and new and is the perfect showcase to how to make a remake that adds to the story yet honors what made the original so great to begin with . 

Before I conclude this review I must speak on the controversy that this movie has created regarding a “gay scene”. This is a ridiculous controversy, based on silly character regarding an awkward hug. Yes this whole spectacle is based only on a hug . The character of LeFou is fabulous and eccentric and is finally made into a well-rounded person. In the animated version of this movie he is a simple minion of Gaston , but now he is a three-dimensional character. I never understood why LeFou would follow around the brutish Gaston but now it makes sense. I think that 99.9% of people will like his character change and have no problem with his eccentric humorous nature. This is much ado about nothing and is a moronic worthless controversy created by foolish people! I strongly disagree with government censorship of art, and I applaud Disney studios for making this wonderful movie. 

In closing I loved this movie and I found it to be a spectacular movie with no significant flaws. The story is richer than ever, the characters are more established and they completely nail the musical performances. The only possible issue that I had was that some story elements fell a little too perfectly into place, but I can forgive that element because of its fairytales origins. Beauty & The Beast (2017) is a wonderful movie and is an excellent remake and is a truly magical theatrical experience.  

Final Verdict: 10/10

© Disney, All Rights Reserved, Disney Lifestyle

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The Jungle Book (2016)

The Jungle Book (2016)

Review Written By: Adolph Vega

3D

The Jungle Book (2016) looks wonderful in 3D.  The movie looks sharp, bright and vivid and seems to be made for 3D. Many of the animals within this movie use 3D to make themselves more intimidating and pop out of the screen. The 3D made the animals look more realistic and gave them a real presence on screen.  The 3D makes for an immersive visual experience as you feel like you are in the jungle with tree limbs and foliage popping out and giving you multiple layers of 3D.  Without a doubt The Jungle Book (2016) is easily the best use of 3D in a movie that I have seen so far in 2016. 

Final Verdict: Great 3D

Movie

I walked into this movie with hesitation but left the theater with a huge smile. The movie is essentially a live-action remake of the classic 1967 Disney animated Jungle Book movie, with a few twists and turns and a darker more realistic tone. The story revolves around a young boy who lives in the jungle named Mowgli. The jungle animals raise Mowgli and he can communicate with them. Considering this movie is live-action with computer-generated animals I was worried that seeing realistic looking talking animals would be strange to see. I worried for nothing, because this movie works beautifully and the trailers totally fail to demonstrate the quality filmmaking of this movie.  I had no problems suspending my disbelief and enjoying this movie for what it is. This is possibly one the best voiced movies I have ever seen, everyone is simply perfect in their roles and even sound like the animals they represent. My favorite voice actor was Bill Murray as Baloo the lazy bear. Bill Murray's delivery is spot on and possibly best work of his fantastic career. The most important character of this movie Mowgli, who is played by newcomer Neel Sethi and he is perfect for this role. This young actor shows impressive talent that carries the movie. Mowgli is the only human character and I totally believe that he is talking and interacting with the animals and doing all the stunts. So many actors struggle acting besides digital characters and he totally nails this role. The movie is strait forward and keeps a fast and fun momentum. The movie is filled with innocent charm and is simply a joy to watch. The Jungle Book (2016) has many funny and captivating scenes and is pure fun. The only issue I have with this movie is how it handles songs. The two songs within this movie are essentially the same songs from the 1967 animated Disney movie and they sadly fall flat. These songs are more subdued and toned down versions of the original songs and they don’t compare to the originals and feel out of place within this movie. Overall I was captivated from beginning to end of this movie. This is a remake done right and is a magical Disney experience that is fun, charming with amazing special effects that the entire family can enjoy.

Final Verdict: 9 / 10

© Disney. All rights reserved.

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Zootopia

ZOOTOPIA

3D Review Written

By: Adolph Vega

3D

ZOOTOPIA is consistent in showcasing a clean and sharp stereoscopic 3D presentation. It never tried anything gimmicky with the 3D. Only one scene had a very memorable 3D moment which takes place within a rain forest. Within this scene many of the characters are jumping around and popping in and out or the screen.  Different animal noses or ears would often pop out as the characters are walking around. The movie uses different layers of 3D well with many animals actively being in different layers of 3D depth. Overall the movie looks nice in 3D but never wowed me. ZOOTOPIA takes a conservative approach with the stereoscopic 3D visuals. I cannot overwhelming endorse the 3D element of Zootopia but it works well for what it is.

Final Verdict: Good 3D  

Movie  

Zootopia is a funny, clever, well-made animated movie. The movie is focused on the character Judy Hopps who is the first rabbit police officer in the city of Zootopia. Judy meets a fox named Nick Wilde and they work together on a case to solve a mystery.

The story elements within the movie are well executed and clever in design. The movie has many interesting plot twists and turns that both children and adults will enjoy. I enjoyed the cast of characters who are well written and portrayed by great voice actors who have excellent chemistry on screen. The story uses different animals to act like different races and ethnicities. The movie does a great job of showcasing prejudice without being overly preachy. This movie seems alive and more advanced than other animated movies starring anthropomorphic talking animals. Humans are not present within this movie, which is fine because they wouldn't fit within the universe. One major element of this movie is the concept of what animals used to be predators and what animals used to be prey. Other similar movies would ignore and overlook this aspect but Zootopia never waters down the story to be more kid friendly. This Predator / Prey aspect is a key story element and I enjoyed how the movie handles this important animal kingdom aspect.  This begs the question to what the animals eat; unfortunately this isn't fully explained within this movie. I understand this is a small nitpick, but I was wondering about this element throughout the movie. The story is tight and well executed but some elements seem a little too easily resolved. The comedic element of this movie is very enjoyable and has wonderful timing. The movie has many fantastic callbacks to previous scenes and is rewarding to the viewer. The movie ends with an unnecessary dance scene that seems totally out of place and forced into this movie. The main storyline is resolved in a satisfactory manner and feels earned. The movie has very smooth animation and impressive visuals that are both cute and vivid.

Overall the problems I have with the movie are minor. ZOOTOPIA is best described by three words: cute, clever and creative. ZOOTOPIA is a quality movie that the entire family can enjoy.

Final Verdict:

8 / 10

 © 2016 DISNEY, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, DISNEY MOVIES

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