Beastly

I watched this movie on a whim. Two of my friends asked if I wanted to go out and watch this movie, and since I had nothing better to do, I said yes. I didn't think this movie would be that bad since people have called it the 'newer and more modern version' of "Beauty and the Beast". They didn't add that it fails at doing so.

Kyle was born handsome and has had everything handed to him on a silver platter since. One night, he offends an enchantress which leads her to cursing Kyle and turning him into a beast. In order to break the curse, Kyle must find someone who'll love him despite his looks before the last flower of spring blooms.

"Beastly"'s plot is a lot similar to that of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast", but I'm afraid that "Beastly" just doesn't compare to the magic and emotions that "Beauty and the Beast" shared with its audience. Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens, while being well-known actors, just don't commit here. Their acting, particularly Hudgens', felt flat. On screen, they did make a cute couple, but that was all it was. They just looked good together. For me, I thought that there was no build-up and not enough back story for their romance to feel real. Disney's Belle and the Beast did a far better job than them.

Neil Patrick Harris saved this movie. When he first appeared on screen, murmurs of "It's Barney!" were heard all around. Obviously, Neil Patrick Harris is a very famous actor. But despite his big name, his acting was great and he did not disappoint. In almost all of his scenes, he managed to get laughs from the audience. It almost felt like it was really Barney Stinson who was the one acting. He was the one thing that made this movie enjoyable and bearable. I'm sure many people agree with me.

While not the best take on the famous Disney classic movie, I don't feel like this movie deserves a flat-out 1. The movie did have a bit of charm. First is Neil Patrick Harris who was great here. Second is how cute Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens looked together. And third is the comic relief that the movie gives. That's basically it. If ever you decide to watch this movie, don't expect it to be as great as "Beauty and the Beast".

Viewed on: April 27, 2011

My girls begged me to take them to see this movie as they are big fans of Vanessa Hudgens, Alex Pettyfer and Mary-Kate Olsen. As young teenagers of 13, they both loved the movie and would rate it 9 out of 10. I however, will rate it a 6. My favourite character was Neil Patrick Harris (Will), the blind tutor.... he made me laugh at almost all the scenes he was in.

I did enjoy some of the characters, and Vanessa was very convincing as Lindy, and played her part well. I enjoyed Mary-Kate's character as, Kendra. It was fun seeing her in a different acting role then the many years of having watched her on Full House and all those cute Olson Twin movies. So all in all, I enjoyed my evening out with my girls. Please keep in mind that we did not know this movie was based on a book, which is probably why my girls enjoyed it so much.

I was so excited to see this movie after hearing about it. I loved the book and was extremely excited for the movie. That movie was so far from the book they could have renamed it. The movie had strong characters but a weak plot and barely any climax. Compared to the book, that was a complete butchering of the story. They cut out some extremely important events within the book. The ending was completely ruined. It was supposed to be full of suspense and adventure, excitement and nerve. The movies ending was dull and pointless. It was completely changed from the events that happened to the location of the events. THE NAMES IN THE MOVIE WEREN'T EVEN RIGHT!! I was disappointed. Basing it an a movie stand point, and not compared to the book, it was okay. Boring and cute. A basic romance. Nothing to special. Definitely not something I would see again. I was extremely disappointed with this movie. I would have thought it would have been better since they postponed the release date for half a year. If you ask me, wait for the DVD and don't waste your money.

The plot was great, being though it was the modern take on beauty and the beast. However, the script was terrible. Everything seemed so rushed.

Kyle wasn't even arrogant long enough. He made one or two rude comments and next thing you know he turned beastly. In fact I didn't realize he was being rude until like seconds to minutes later. That's how cheesy his lines were. And on top of that, he started falling in love with her before he was turned beastly which totally contradicts the whole point of him being that way. He's supposed to be ugly inside and out.

Liddy or, whatever her name is, wasn't turned off by him like Belle was in the animated version. She couldn't stand him whereas Liddy liked him from the beginning. She called him a jerk once but that didn't even sound convincing. So corny. The fight scene where Kyle calls himself saving her was so bad I was nearly in tears from laughing. What a shame because the concept of the movie was so awesome and this could've been a really great movie.

Bottom line, it was a waste of money, gas and time. I could've waited until this came out on Netflix. Sorry but this movie was just terrible!

In the Buckeston Academy High School, the wealthy, arrogant, narcissist and bigot Kyle Kingson (Alex Pettyfer) is a student that does not respect his classmates. When Kyle is elected representative of the students, he plays a prank with the outcast Kendra (Mary-Kate Olsen) that has the fame of being a witch. He invites her to a party and humiliates her in front of their classmates. However, Kendra curses him with a spell that makes Kyle as ugly as his soul. Further, she tells that if he does not find anyone who loves him within a year, he will be doomed to that appearance forever.

When Kyle's father Rob Kingson (Peter Krause) sees him, he takes Kyle to specialists but the doctors do not know what to do. So Rob hides Kyle in an apartment with a maid and a blind tutor. When Kyle sees his mate Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens) on the streets, he saves her from a dangerous drug dealer and he brings her to his apartment to protect her. Now his only hope is that Lindy falls in love with him.

"Beastly" is a contemporary teen-version of "The Beauty and the Beast". The ridiculous make-up on Alex Pettyfer is the weakest part of the film. Vanessa Hudgens is not a beautiful actress and is very weak for the lead role. Further, she does not show any chemistry with Alex Pettyfer. The plot is weird and the way that Lindy is forced to move to the Hunter's apartment through blackmail of her father does not convince.

The plot has many flaws but "Beastly" is neither the best nor the worst romance recently released and there are many unfair reviews in IMDb. Despite the flaws, this film actually entertains on DVD. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "A Fera" ("The Beast")