I am a sucker for adaptations. If I find a trailer that intrigues me then learn that the movie is based on a book I'll go out grab the book and read it. Once I'm done I'm bubbly with excitement to see the film. So, my journey through Beautiful Creatures was just that. I read the book in two days and loved it. I couldn't wait to see the movie, but when it came out I was too busy packing to move to go out and see it. Then once settled and ready I found that it hadn't done well and was pulled from theatres. So I've been waiting since March and finally, last night I laid across my bed and watched it.
IT SUCKS!
Oh the disappointment that slowly seeped into my heart as I watch this side show of a movie. It really was something I can only shake my head at. Hoping upon hope that it would get better...I only found it getting worse.
I'm so very happy I didn't spend theatre money on this crap fest. Now, because I enjoy adaptations I know that things get changed (I'm not one of those, it's not like the book people. I generally understand and enjoy subtle changes that enhance a movie). Some characters are dropped, some things that have no direct effect on the plot get erased. I also know that sometimes with a book series screenwriters will down play "small" characters because they don't know how important they will be later on in the story (see Neville Longbottom in the HP movies/books). But this movie took that all to a new level. The true title should I have "Beautiful Creatures, a film loosely based on the book of the same name". For a film based on a book they took very little of the book and put it in the film. In fact it left out so much that I don't even know how anyone could call it an adaptation.
In this post Twilight teen book to movie world we have been spoiled. Although Twilight was terrible it was true to the book. The Hunger Games, which was monumentally better, was also very true to the book. This movie couldn't even get the smallest detail like "Uncle Abner's" favorite food correct. It was like the writer (who also directed this thing) changed things just because he felt like changing them, fandom be damned.
I won't go through every change (because that would take FOREVER) and some I can agree with, like taking out the dog, Boo Radley. Others especially those of great significance, like Kelting (which is a telepathic way the 2 main characters speak to each other), are just baffling to me. And merging two very different, yet very important characters (Amma and Aunt Marion) was the beginning of the end. This is just one part of this franchise's Neville Longbottom problem...because these two characters have very different roles to play, but they have to play them separately they cannot be played by the same person...it's too much and by the end of it we'd all be wondering if she's an immortal. Also, by merging them they all but got rid of the main characters mother who, even though she died about 6 months before the start, plays a great role in her son's life and this story. and the fact that she's just recently died and left her son pretty broken hearted isn't addresses either. Oh, back to the Neville problem...you can't say that screenwriter didn't know what would happen, because during the filming the final book in the series was being published and the series writers were on set and could tell him what and why certain things needed to stay the same.
This film also single handedly turned 3 Oscar nominated actors into quite possibly the worse actors ever on the planet earth. I was really excited about Jeremy Irons being cast and Uncle Macon, but it turned out to be completely wrong.
But the worst thing I can say about this movie is that it's worst than Twilight. Yes, as bad as Twilight was overall (if you look at the source material BC is a much better book than Twilight to start with) this movie is quite literally worse. From the writing to the acting to the special effects (which are horrid) to the overall feel it was all just BAD!
And to think, they're going to make 3 more movies...hopefully, they find a better director and allow the two ladies who wrote the books to write the screen plays.
I also wanted to say this, I really don't like the fact that Ethan (the POV character) calls Lena (his girlfriend) a Bitch. We already have a problem with how men treat women and to have a movie aimed at teenagers show that type of interaction (whether it was warranted and whether he apologized or not) it was completely unnecessary. It just reinforces what certain parts of society (and yes the Twilight franchise was based on) male dominance and control over women. These aren't the types of things we should be showing the next generation.
Don't see this movie...don't spend your time or money on it. Not worth it at all!
Until Next Time!
~m
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