I'll be the first to admit. I'm not the most qualified to do a movie review. ;) I honestly don't even like movies that much, and I only go to them if I really want to see a movie. So I may not be the most likely person to write this review, but because of the fact that I have so many friends who were so worried about this movie and all they had heard about it, I'm going to say what I have to say about it. I hope it will be helpful to some who are wondering.
Unless you've lived under a rock for the past 25 years, I'm assuming you've seen the original Disney movie. This one follows pretty much exactly the same story line so there's not a lot of surprise here. I'm assuming that there will be no spoilers, but just in case you're worried, stop reading here.
The story of Beauty and the Beast is one of sacrifice, forgiveness and redemption. It gives us the gospel. There is no beastiality, stockholm syndrome, "gay moments" or any of the other things that people are saying about it.
As we know, this is not an animal that she falls in love with. He is a selfish prince who can only love and care about himself. He is cursed by an enchantress and put under a spell that will make him a beast forever unless he can learn how to love and someone can love him before the last petal of the enchanted rose falls. So he's human. He's just under a curse.
Stockholm Syndrome, according to the dictionary, is this
"feelings of trust or affection felt in certain cases of kidnapping or hostage-taking by a victim toward a captor."
I can understand how one would interpret what Belle felt as "Stockholm Syndrome," but I don't think of it that way. Belle never fell in love with her captor until he released her. She started to see things in him when he was kind and loving, but when given the chance to be free, she took it. She had the choice to stay or go, and she left. She went to find her father. Only after she had been released and realized his true love and sacrifice for her, did she love him back in return.
Beauty and the Beast is a story first of sacrifice. Belle's love for her father is overwhelming. She has nothing in this world that she loves as much as him. She is weird and strange, living in a world where women don't read and books mean nothing. She is educated and a lover of all knowledge. She wants so much more than this "provincial life" that her little French town can offer. Her father goes off to sell his invention and gets lost in the Beast's forgotten castle lair. Belle goes to find him and sacrifices herself for her father's freedom. This is what amazes the Beast. This is the love that he's never before seen. This is what first draws him to her. Who would do such a thing? Sacrifice her life to set her father free? The Beast is intrigued by this beautiful girl.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, makes this girl see anything in this Beast until she tries to escape. When she does, she is attacked by wolves, and then the Beast almost dies sacrificing his life for hers. He cares about her in a way he doesn't understand, and he risks it all to keep her safe. Only then does she start to have any good feelings towards him. His sacrifice for her turns it all around, draws her in, and makes her feel loved. She, in turn, starts to see him in a new light.
Belle forgives the Beast for being her captor. She starts to see that he's not as bad as he seemed and he just needs love himself. They enjoy each other's company. The Beast starts to fall in love with Belle and realizes what true love actually is. When he finally realizes he loves her, he also realizes the only way he can truly love her is to let her go. Who can be free to love if they are held captive? So he does. He loves her enough to let her go, knowing that doing so means the death of himself. He will forever remain a Beast.
But the story isn't over. Belle comes back. She knows the Beast is in trouble, and she realizes that she loves him. She loves him because of his sacrifice and grace. She loves him because he gave his life for her. She loves him because of his beautiful heart. So she goes back. She goes back to save him from the true monster of the story, Gaston. And although it seems she is too late, her love redeems his life. The Beast is transformed back into a Prince because of the redeeming love of Belle. He doesn't die. He isn't lost. He is brought back to life, purchased by her love.
And so you see, Beauty and Beast is a gospel story. It gives us sacrifice, forgiveness and redemption. Even the world, at it's deepest level, aches for this. We all ache in our souls to find true love and be redeemed. Hollywood knows it. They just don't know the true answer.
And all the other stuff that the directors and everyone wanted us to worry about? It's not there. The absolute only other thing is maybe the two men at the end who "accidentally" end up dancing together (for literally less than 2 seconds of the movie.) Y'all, it's nothing. And even if there was, I'm here to tell you, there are gay people in your kids' lives, and if you don't figure out now how to talk about it, you're missing your opportunity! So take this opportunity to think about that! But go see this movie because it is the story of the gospel in a beautiful, mesmerizing story of Beauty and the Beast.
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