Admittedly the above heading reeks of cynicism and that's really not the intention. It just aptly sums up the overall impression that Beautiful Creatures leaves you with.
Some may moan and groan but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Twilight is garbage, teen girl fodder, I'm sure most over the age of 30 would agree, however when you inject a bit of decent darkness into the screenplay and pepper your supporting cast with fabulous performances from 3 Oscar winners, you're bound to end up with something halfway decent and Beautiful Creatures is just that, halfway decent.
Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson and Viola Davis steal every scene they're in, specially Thompson. She's on top form here, clearly having a field day chewing the scenery like Nicholson in The Witches of Eastwick.
The biggest crime this film commits is that it's all too light, too watered down, too teen orientated and this is its downfall. It should have been played as a straight ahead horror/fantasy about witches and witchcraft. The romance angle is pretty well handled but should have been downplayed a little more. The humour should also have been reigned in here and there.
The whole affair should have been played straighter, darker, scarier, There's a great film in here trying to get out but with the tween-girl market in mind that was never going to happen.
What we're left with is a fun, light, slightly subversive take on witchcraft that's an entertaining way to kill 2 hours.
6 out of 10
Some may moan and groan but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Twilight is garbage, teen girl fodder, I'm sure most over the age of 30 would agree, however when you inject a bit of decent darkness into the screenplay and pepper your supporting cast with fabulous performances from 3 Oscar winners, you're bound to end up with something halfway decent and Beautiful Creatures is just that, halfway decent.
Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson and Viola Davis steal every scene they're in, specially Thompson. She's on top form here, clearly having a field day chewing the scenery like Nicholson in The Witches of Eastwick.
The biggest crime this film commits is that it's all too light, too watered down, too teen orientated and this is its downfall. It should have been played as a straight ahead horror/fantasy about witches and witchcraft. The romance angle is pretty well handled but should have been downplayed a little more. The humour should also have been reigned in here and there.
The whole affair should have been played straighter, darker, scarier, There's a great film in here trying to get out but with the tween-girl market in mind that was never going to happen.
What we're left with is a fun, light, slightly subversive take on witchcraft that's an entertaining way to kill 2 hours.
6 out of 10