Beautiful Creatures Film Review

Beautiful Creatures 2013

  Yesterday (Feb. 16 2013) we went to see the Beautiful Creatures movie at the theater. Needless to say, we had a case of the fangirl squees while waiting for the film to start. We have been waiting to see the film since we all read the book.  

            Unfortunately, there were many times when we looked at each other and mouthed “what?!” I am adamant that adaptations from book to film cannot be exactly alike. What works in a book does not necessarily work in a film. However, while watching this film, there is the moment when you realize the film has gone crazy and has started adding unnecessary things to the story. Some of the additions are ridiculous, and I will address them, but those sections might contain spoilers and will be marked. I try not to repeat myself so while some comments could appear under many headings, I try to keep some kind of semblance of organization.

Main Characters

            Ethan does not behave as I thought he did in the book. Admittedly, I thought their banter was much more interesting in the book, and overall he had more personality. (Lena: Can we just have a normal, awkward teenager date? Ethan: I won’t even call you the next day. *note: this is not an exact quote, only what I can remember.) I still stand by my opinion that he looks older than he should, and he doesn’t have the hair that needs cutting as stated in the book. It would be one thing if the film simply ignored it, but no, it doesn’t. In the first few moments of the film Amma reminds Ethan that he needs a haircut (when he obviously doesn’t). It was a moment when the writer tells the audience “Hey, I read the book too, I know what I’m writing about.” And by the way, he doesn’t know what he’s writing about.  

            Lena is a decent actor, though like Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in the Hunger Games film, I feel that they should have been more aware of how her face looks in certain angles. That’s something the camera and the actress needs to be aware of. My only major gripe with Lena is that her wardrobe doesn’t have the otherworldly feel like it does in the book. She is supposed to look different and out of place. Sure, she might not look exactly like her class mates, but it’s close, and maybe she is from the next town over. She is supposed to look noticeably different, and she doesn’t. Also, the charm necklace is never explained and should therefore just be taken out of the film.    

Atmosphere

            The atmosphere was well-done in the film, though I have actually never been to the south (yet). At least it looks like what other films tell me the American South looks like. However, I hate it when films have a narrative frame, trying to emulate Twilight. It would have been more effective to have Ethan speaking to someone for the set-up. Ethan: Hey Link. I hate Gatlin. You know what my mom always said, right? That we should strive to get out of this town full of religious zealots. She was right. All Gatlin talks about is the Battle of Honey Hill. Etc. There is at least one other point in the film that uses voice-over narrative that is unnecessary and shows lazy writing. Also, throwing around terms like “naturalist” without explanation is lazy writing and confusing for the audience, whether they have read the book or not.   

            I do dislike how the term southern Gothic is automatically stapled to this film. Yes, it takes place in the south and has the religious overtones known in the Bible Belt. Does it really have the abandoned, spooky buildings or other iconic symbolism? Not really. Everything is overdramatic and not scary at all. In fact, most of the scenes are in happy daylight. Southern Gothic also involves the grotesque in some way. It’s not here. So let’s stop using terms we don’t understand, shall we? It’s a teen romance movie, don’t paint it as something that it is not.

Book to Film-What Was Changed

(Mild Spoilers)

Light Vs Dark

            This change I actually liked. In the book, why you wouldn’t want to go Dark isn’t particularly clear. I assumed it has something to do with going to the dark side and you get to shoot lightning out of your fingers, but nothing is said in the book, as far as we can recall. With the exception of the “OMG once you go Dark you’ll hurt everybody you love!” you don’t know anything besides Dark=Bad.

            In the film, Dark Casters are actually bad. Ridley, a siren, actually hurts people. Sarafine has an agenda that will hurt mortals. Even Macon Ravenwood is a total jerk at one point and does something mean to Ethan.   

Claiming

All Duchannes are Claimed, male or female, in the book. In the film, only the men get to choose and the girls still get Claimed. Why did they change this in the film? They made it a girl only curse that is directly related to their bloodline. I think this was a stupid idea that was totally unnecessary. Why change what isn't broken? 

Secondary Characters

            A lot of fail here. Why don’t we get to hear about any of the family’s powers? Where are all the other family members? Larkin’s purpose in the film has been so altered, I have to ask: why is he even in the film? Marian has been cut and replaced with Amma. Amma is supposed to be the Caster and Public Library librarian, on top of being Ethan’s caretaker (which is not explained, to my recollection) and a seer. This doesn’t give her much time to do all the other things she is supposed to do in the story, and I hate how the film just neglects logic and piles all this on her character. Ethan’s father never makes an appearance and he is swiftly forgotten. Not much mentioning of Ethan’s mother, either, when she plays a role in the first book even though she is absent. Don’t even get me started on what they did to Macon in the end of the film.   

Sarafine   

Why is Sarafine introduced so early? The whole “OMG she’s been influencing everyone the entire time!” falls flat because in the film, we are SHOWN a huge reveal too soon. The audience is left going:...ok....so here’s Sarafine, being evil. I guess she’s the bad guy. The film tells us: Please be afraid of her now. This doesn’t really work.  

Ending

            The ending was ridiculous. I will not apologize for my statement either. It was stupid and uninspired. It was like whoever wrote the screenplay felt pressured to throw in a mish-mash of overused tripe and call it a day. Even the lines the actors were given are just awful. Why did they deviate from the source material so badly? I can't stand what they did to Macon and Ridley.

Verdict

            An alright movie for people who have not read the book and are into paranormal romances. The ending was rubbish. The beginning was more than decent for this kind of film. It had some interesting and thrilling scenes with magic like spinning tables. The love story was alright. Better than Twilight. Atmosphere and acting was enjoyable. If the second film is made despite the abysmal ending, I hope they get a better screen writer.   

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

*Thoughts on the movie trailers after the book review.

 
Introduction

Published: December 2009
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Series: First book of the Caster Chronicles
Website:http://beautifulcreaturesnovels.com/

                Ethan Wate has lived in the nearly non-existent town of Gatlin since he was born, just as his ancestors before him did. New and exciting are foreign concepts until Lena Duchannes (rhymes with rain) enrolls in the high school. She is beyond the cookie-cutter crowd of girls his age. She is a brunette with huge green eyes and wears whatever she likes, not what is in style, including a necklace with trinkets that most would call junk, and she reads poetry. Unfortunately, this means that everyone else hates her. Except Ethan. He has been dreaming of her, literally, before he even met her. They are linked.

                One day in English class she is the victim of her peers’ ridicule and suddenly the window behind them blows out into tiny fragments. From this point forward she is labeled a freak and a danger to the student body, but Ethan is not deterred. Mysteries begin to unfold, linking them together, spanning hundreds of years. Obviously, Lena and her family are beyond normal in a paranormal way. But, as it turns out, so is Ethan, in his own way.

Lena is counting down the days until her sixteenth birthday, when a monumental event will occur. She will be Claimed for either the Light or Dark. Basically, she will then be good or evil, and once you’re evil, you do horrendous things and are separated from your family to protect them. There is no choice in this. It is simply fate. There is no going back once you are Claimed. And to top it off, she has to deal with the ignorance of a community who do not accept strangers into their flock.         

And remember, witch is a stupid word. 

Narration/Male POV

                This book, beyond a doubt, has one of the best male, first person POVs that I have ever read. It’s so natural and non-alienating that girls can read it too. He’s sixteen, on the basketball team, tall, and is always hungry. He needs a haircut but he isn't too concerned about it. His mother died the year before and since then, his writer father has locked himself in his study, rarely emerging to shower or eat cereal. He isn’t angst ridden, though he does reminisce occasionally. Day after day he goes to school and deals with life, no matter how crazy.    

Love Story

                The love story is actually believable. They do not hang out for twenty minutes and decide that they must be soul mates. There is the supernatural element involved where they have been dreaming of each other, sharing dreams, and waking up covered in mud and bruises from the dream. They touch an artifact and they share visions of the past. Yet they do not immediately start gushing that they love each other. The supernatural elements aside, this one of the more realistic love stories that I’ve found in YA lit lately.  

Librarian

                I am biased, but the librarian character is awesome. Chapter 10.13 is named for her: “Marian the Librarian”. She is educated, unique, and kind. Not a reclusive, dusty, shushing crone. Her quotes of famous people and works are some of my favourite moments in the book, and Uncle Macon does this too and it made me smile while I read. As a librarian is, she is the gateway to knowledge. She was also Ethan’s late mother’s best friend.  

“I’m just the librarian. I can only give you the books. I can’t give you the answers.”

Pacing

The pacing is only a little wonky to me when they finally discover the story behind the locket and then it seems to be forgotten. The story moves on to the next thing to be figured out, but there is a gap where nothing much happens, aside from the social issues stuff with Lena and the school and some reading of an ancient text. It is interesting to read, but my thoughts are that this is the slow bit. Perhaps something else a tad more exciting on the magical mystery front could have been going on too? Or maybe…could some of the content have been cut?

Length

The hardcopy edition that I read is 563 pages long. I enjoyed the ride, but having a massive book can be a double-edged sword. Some people LOVE lengthy books. Longer stories can make readers feel good about reading so much, etc. But it can also deter readers. I know when I picked it up, in my head I thought, Of course. I’m trying to get content out on a new blog and this book has to be nearly 600 pages long. This work was created from two creative minds, and it shows. Honestly, some of the explanations of Gatlin or Civil War history and customs seemed unnecessary. This book could have used some editing to make the writing tighter.  

Verdict  

This book is admittedly too big for a normal book club. However, it has a detailed and intricate paranormal story set in the contemporary South, and it sports a fantastically accessible male POV. It has the themes including mental illness, death, family, good and evil, pre-determined fate, and social issues. I resented any annoyance (i.e., life) that made me put it down. I highly recommend it for teens who are beyond the bland paranormal romances that have flooded the market. If they want more meat to their story, this will probably satisfy them.       

Trailers

 

          I went to see Silent Hill: Revelations 3D in theatres and a trailer for the Beautiful Creatures film came on in the previews. At that moment I knew I had to read the book. Surprisingly, it was still at the library!

Actors

 

            Lena looks...ok. She doesn’t have that “I clearly don’t belong here” attire. She just looks...pale. But she smiles occasionally so at least she’s not trying to be Bella Swan.

          The Youtube videos have enough comments about Ripley no longer being blonde. Personally, I think it makes more sense to make the whole family brunettes. It gives Lena a visual family. They look like her. They are her kin. Ripley lacks the rocker look she had in the book, though she is still a femme fatal. I thought Ripley was an awesome and complex character in the book so I am looking forward to seeing what she does in the film.

          Ethan...poor Ethan. It looks like he’s being played by a 30-year-old. He’s supposed to be 16 and he needs a haircut. This guy...needs to date girls his own age. While the Youtube comments have declared him ugly (which I think is unfair), I think they should find actors that at least look the age they are supposed to be portraying.

 

          Macon looks pretty close to what I was imagining. For some reason I imagined him with a curled handlebar villain mustache for a while. I don't know why. He is wise yet unavailable. Around...yet absent. He might be evil...but Lena trusts him and loves him dearly. For his actor...he looks ok? 
          “Marian the Librarian” appears to be absent from the trailers!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

          Looks like Amma takes over part of her role. I am disappoint.  

Adaption

          Now might be a good time to remind people that when you take a book and make it into a movie, it is called adaption. Taking the story to a different media (book to movie) will make it different because the way we make movies and write stories, and what works in books and what works in movies, are different. Very different. To make these ventures successful ($$$) the movies adapt, which is defined as “to make suitable to requirements or conditions; adjust or modify fittingly”. Like it or not, films will change aspects of the books they are based on because the screen is different than the page. If you don’t like change, stay home.

Release Date

          Release date is scheduled for February 13 2013. Naturally, I’m already reserved to take some teenaged fans. I genuinely want to be blown away, so I can’t wait for February! Hopefully the world doesn't end.