Going in to Beautiful Creatures....I had zero expectations. You read that right...zero. I was expecting no more than a humdrum chick flick that I would not be able to relate to or even enjoy. However, I enjoyed Beautiful Creatures immensely. Yes...you have seen this type of film many times before but thanks to the excellent chemistry between the couple at the center of the story as well as the uncanny supporting cast...the film actually works quite well.
The film follows Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich) who keeps having dreams about a girl he's never met. When a new and controversial student named Lena (Alice Englert) moves into town...Ethan immediately falls in love with her and thinks that she may be the girl he's been dreaming about. However, Lena has supernatural powers and her uncle (Jeremy Irons) along with two townswomen (Emma Thompson and Viola Davis) do not approve of Ethan and Lena seeing each other.
The film is engaging in many ways. The main way that this film got me into it was because of Lena and Ethan's chemistry. Newcomers Ehrenreich and Englert really make the audience feel every one of the couple's emotions. As well---they never let the characters off easy. These two actors show Lena and Ethan in their best and worst lights. The film is also very cool looking. Based upon the novel by Kami Garcia...screenplay writer-director Richard LaGravenese does an excellent job of both bringing the movie to life and directing it excellently. The film has a look all its own and that was a huge plus for me.
The flaws of the film are few and far between but I feel obliged to discuss them. First off---the film is about 20 minutes too long and does start to repeat itself a bit towards the end. Also---while most of the dialogue in the film is refreshing and subtle....there are one or two laughable lines. The only other real flaw of the film is that it does take a few minutes more than it needed to in order to fully explain what the plot is all about. None of these flaws were fatal or stopped me from enjoying the movie at any point, however.
It may not be a phenomenal piece of work or the Citizen Kane of teen romances. Still----Beautiful Creatures is a great date movie that both guys and their girlfriends should like and is just a good time at the movies in general. If you're looking for a movie to watch this weekend...you could do much worse.
(3 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG-13 for violence, scary images and some sexual material)
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