Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich) and Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert) in Beautiful Creatures
Beautiful Creatures is a romantic fantasy starring Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert and it is based on the novel Beautiful Creatures of the Caster Chronicles by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.
The film was produced by Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Erwin Stoff, David Valdes, and Molly Mickler Smith while the screenplay was writted and directed by Richard Gravenese. It was released February 14th, 2013.
THE CAST
Alden Ehrenreich as Ethan Lawson Wate
Alice Englert as Lena Duchannes
Jeremy Irons as Macon Ravenwood
Viola Davis as Amma
Emmy Rossum as Ridley Duchannes
Thomas Mann as Link
Emma Thompson as Mrs. Lincoln/Sarafine
Margo Martindale as Aunt Del
Eileen Atkins as Emmaline Duchannes (Gramma)
Zoey Deutch as Emily Asher
Kyle Gallner as Larkin Ravenwood
Pruitt Taylor Vince as Mr. Lee
SYNOPSIS
Ethan Wate has been wanting to leave Gatlin, the small southern town he calls home. But when Lena Duchannes, a relative of the town's founding family known as the Ravenwoods, moves into town to live with her uncle, Macon Ravenwood, that changes. He continues to pursue her, feeling a connection with her only to realize that she and her family are Casters, a form of magical beings. The two fall in love with each other and fight to stay together, despite her family's displeasure. But before the fall too deep, she informs him that on her sixteenth birthday, she will be claimed by the light or the dark, due to a curse that has been with the female Casters for centuries. Will she be claimed for the dark or will their love for each other break the curse?
TRAILER
MY THOUGHTS
Wow. Just... wow. Let me start off by saying that I wish it wouldn't have come out on Valentines Day (I absolutely hate the holiday; couples are just too much for me). Besides that, Beautiful Creatures was amazing. I went to see it late on Thursday evening, expecting the theater to be packed for premiere night. To my surprise, I was the first one there and as the movie was starting, the theater wasn't even full.
Once again, I meant to read the first book completely before the film came out (same thing I tried to do before the first The Hunger Games came out), and a failed yet again; I got close to the end, but still, I wanted to finish it first. I had heard several complaints about the cast choices and minor changes that were made to characters, but the film and the book can't be exactly the same, I think it may have something to do with copyright. The only thing I wish would have been more like the book was Ridley. She did so much more in the book to me, and the lollipop thing was tight.
While watching the film, it almost seemed nostalgic for a moment as I thought about Twilight (2008) when it first came out. Then I realized, that it wasn't like that at all, the acting was SO much better. The way things were connecting throughout the film keep the suspense up and kept my eye glued to the screen the whole time. I was extremely impressed with how the actors and actresses portrayed their characters also, the chemistry and those accents were amazing. I think Emmy Rossum was my favorite (although her screen time was limited).
SPOILERS: There were I few things that I didn't get. In one of them, Ridley randomly had blonde hair once while showing Link how to magically make a bullet appear in his palm. OK. Cause that was necessary. My favorite scenes were between the dinner table scene when Lena expels Ridley from the dining area, when Ethan and Lena see the curse play itself out in the theater, and when Ethan feels the spell that Lena cast on him to forget about her break and the end and he cries her name. But I decided that above all of them, I had two favorite scenes. The first was when Ridley arrives in Gatlin and seductively introduces herself to Ethan and Link, and the second was Lena and Sarafine's "heart to heart" when Lena's claiming is halted and she goes half light and half dark. SPOILERS END.
The Score was done by my new favorite band, Thenewno2, and I must say, it's F-ing awesome! Despite what the critics and fans are saying so far, I loved Beautiful Creatures, and I look forward the future follow up installments.
I give Beautiful Creatures: ★★★★★ 5 out of 5 Stars
"Which one of you lucky boys is Ethan Wate?"
