Beauty and the Beast
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: March 17, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
65
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 47 Critic Reviews
Positive:
30
Mixed:
16
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleMar 15, 2017
Beauty and the Beast creates an air of enchantment from its first moments, one that lingers and builds and takes on qualities of warmth and generosity as it goes along. Read full review
90
TimeStephanie ZacharekMar 5, 2017
There’s no need to worry that this version might crush the gentle charms of the 1991 picture: Even though Condon more or less faithfully follows that movie’s plot, this Beauty is its own resplendent creature. Read full review
88
St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonMar 16, 2017
It’s hard to imagine a better Belle than Watson, who radiates much the same intelligence and spunk that she brought to Hermione in the “Harry Potter” films. And Dan Stevens (“Downton Abbey”) is excellent as the soulful Beast. Read full review
88
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldMar 14, 2017
This Beauty and the Beast had me leaving the theater feeling utterly happy; like I’d spent time with old friends who’d grown and changed, and yet remained the same at heart. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMar 16, 2017
It’s quite good, thanks to the sturdiness of the story, the jaw-dropping visuals and, most importantly, the one thing the first film didn’t offer: Emma Watson. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonCath ClarkeMar 13, 2017
This is a lavish pull-out-all-the-stops musical. Read full review
80
ScreenCrushBritt HayesMar 9, 2017
Bill Condon’s live-action update of Beauty and the Beast is more reimagining than remake, a lavish and lovely take on a familiar tale (as old as time, no doubt) that enriches its source material without betraying it. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsStephen Whitty Mar 3, 2017
In a nice bit of sorcery, Disney’s taken their 1991 animated classic — and their 1993 Broadway hit — and combined them into a groundbreaking delight, anchored by a breakthrough performance by Emma Watson. Read full review
80
The New York TimesA.O. ScottMar 3, 2017
Its classicism feels unforced and fresh. Its romance neither winks nor panders. It looks good, moves gracefully and leaves a clean and invigorating aftertaste. I almost didn’t recognize the flavor: I think the name for it is joy. Read full review
80
Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganMar 3, 2017
More than a quarter of a century later, Beauty and the Beast enchants again as a swirling blend of live-action story, stage, screen and sheer, rococo-spun fantasy. Read full review
80
Total FilmMatt MaytumMar 3, 2017
A delightful live-action recreation of a familiar fable. You’ve seen it before, but its spirit and pizzaz are pretty much irresistible. Read full review
80
EmpireNick de SemlyenMar 3, 2017
Those who predicted this wouldn’t hold a talking candle to the animated original will be pleasantly surprised. The tale may be as old as time, but it’s retold with freshness, brio and flair. Read full review
80
The TelegraphTim RobeyMar 3, 2017
It’s the music that makes it particularly special, and appreciating that is entirely the point of the live-action remake. Read full review
80
CineVueJoe WalshMar 3, 2017
Adoring fans of the original will surely not be disappointed. Disney have cast their magic spell once again, creating a modern romantic fable with lavish visuals and wickedly entertaining performances. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleSteve DavisMar 15, 2017
The movie brims with unexpected zest, an enthralling joie de vivre that seduces despite any reservations you may have. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter TraversMar 17, 2017
It looks the same, moves the same and sounds the same (those Alan Menken songs!) as the original. But some of the magic has gone M.I.A. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorMar 16, 2017
Disney’s live-action revival of the Beauty and the Beast franchise is nothing if not lively, albeit occasionally overwrought: The dinnerware’s number, Be Our Guest, turns into a hallucinogenic sequence worthy of Busby Berkeley. Read full review
75
Washington PostAnn HornadayMar 16, 2017
This Beauty and the Beast isn’t predicated on starry-eyed romance or animal attraction, but the solace of mutual loss and understanding, which makes it all the sweeter. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliMar 16, 2017
A lively, workmanlike musical that only occasionally rises to the heights of its 1991 predecessor and frequently coasts on a lower plane. Read full review
75
New York PostSara StewartMar 15, 2017
Dan Stevens (“Downton Abbey”), as the Beast, has the heaviest lift. He’s emoting through a CGI veil that never quite feels real. But his cranky character is more engaging this time around. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comSusan WloszczynaMar 14, 2017
This “Beauty” presents a far more inclusive view of the world. One that is awash with a sense of hope and connection that we desperately need right now. If you desire an entertaining escape from reality right about now, be my guest. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMar 14, 2017
Bill Condon’s take on Beauty and the Beast is almost overwhelmingly lavish, beautifully staged and performed with exquisite timing and grace by the outstanding cast. Read full review
75
USA TodayBrian TruittMar 3, 2017
Here’s some Disney magic for you: The new Beauty and the Beast actually improves upon the animated classic. Read full review
70
The New YorkerAnthony LaneMar 20, 2017
Beauty and the Beast is delectably done; when it’s over, though, and when the spell is snapped, it melts away, like cotton candy on the tongue. Read full review
70
SlateAisha HarrisMar 3, 2017
While much of the original script remains the same, screenwriters Steven Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos, as well as long-time Disney composer Alan Menken (who also wrote for the original, along with the late Howard Ashman), sprinkle in just enough new material and character development to help it feel fresh. Read full review
70
VarietyOwen GleibermanMar 3, 2017
It’s a lovingly crafted movie, and in many ways a good one, but before that it’s an enraptured piece of old-is-new nostalgia. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerMar 17, 2017
Seeing it will probably send you back to the original animated movie for refreshment. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyMar 3, 2017
It’s fine and funny and sweet and lush and some of the songs are infectious, but I still don’t completely understand why it exists — and why they couldn’t do more with it. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 15, 2017
I can’t say I loved it, as it drags and drags and only occasionally springs to life. But this “tale as old as time” resonates as well as it ever has, and its songs still stick with you long after the closing credits. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineRichard Scott LarsonMar 4, 2017
Bill Condon's Beauty and the Beast actually delivers a remarkably optimistic balm to a festering, existential wound. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangMar 14, 2017
This isn’t just a remake; it’s an act of cinematic upholstery, with all the padding that implies. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawMar 11, 2017
The whole movie is lit in that fascinatingly artificial honeyglow light, and it runs smoothly on rails – the kind of rails that bring in and out the stage sets for the lucrative Broadway touring version. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinMar 3, 2017
It’s a Michelin-triple-starred master class in patisserie skills that transforms the cinematic equivalent of a sugar rush into a kind of crystal meth-like narcotic high that lasts about two hours. Only once viewers have come down and digested it all might they feel like the whole experience was actually a little bland, lacking in depth and so effervescent as to be almost instantly forgettable. Read full review
60
We Got This CoveredMatt DonatoMar 3, 2017
Beauty And The Beast lacks some of the astonishing visual prowess of previous Disney live-action remakes, but still sings and dances with enjoyable style. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Mar 15, 2017
Shiny but not exactly new, Bill Condon’s live-action Beauty And The Beast is a curious nostalgia object, synthetically engineered to reproduce all the same sensations as a 26-year-old movie. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy BurrMar 16, 2017
In short, there’s plenty of spectacle in Beauty and the Beast, which will be enough for many if not most young audiences. But there isn’t much magic, and what there is coasts on 26-year-old fumes. Read full review
50
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallMar 15, 2017
With each musical reprise and imitated frame, Condon continues a fight of comparisons he can't win. Either imitate a classic faithfully or leave out the songs and make your own version. Or just leave perfection alone. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsMar 15, 2017
The problems here, I think, are weirdly simple. The movie takes our knowledge and our interest in the material for granted. It zips from one number to another, throwing a ton of frenetically edited eye candy at the screen, charmlessly. Read full review
50
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlMar 11, 2017
The clock, Cogsworth, serves as a perfect metaphor for the production itself: The movie’s just as poky and lumbering as he is while huffing up the staircase to escort Belle to her bedroom. Read full review
50
ConsequenceBlake GobleMar 3, 2017
The movie is like a second verse, sung a little louder and just a little bit worse. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaMar 3, 2017
After a couple musical numbers, it occurs to you that the film you’re watching is every bit as animated as the original, but it’s somehow turned out less lifelike, despite its considerable technological advantage. Read full review
50
The Film StageJordan RaupMar 3, 2017
Never genuinely thrilling or sincerely hilarious, Beauty and the Beast ho-hums along until the next needle drop of a prominent musical cue. If Disney believes these tales are as old as time, they ought to have a better reason for bringing them back to life than unimaginatively cashing in on nostalgia. Read full review
50
IndieWireJude DryMar 3, 2017
Aside from the thrill of its lavish sets and costumes, there isn’t much new to offer in this Beauty and the Beast. Read full review
45
TheWrapDan CallahanMar 3, 2017
This new mainly live-action Disney version of the oft-told story directed by Bill Condon feels largely perfunctory. Where it flounders most is on the miscasting of several crucial roles. Read full review
42
The PlaylistRodrigo PerezMar 3, 2017
Ultimately Beauty And The Beast feels like a cynical rehash seemingly created just to make a fiscal year sound promising to shareholders. This is a product that’s more manufactured than inspired. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternMar 16, 2017
In the new film beauty is sought, and seldom found, in glitzy surfaces. Enchantment is chased, and never captured, in extravagant set pieces that owe less to fairy-tale tradition than to Cirque du Soleil grandiosity. Read full review
31
The VergeTasha RobinsonMar 17, 2017
It’s largely a frustrating clone of the original movie — same songs, same script, often even the exact same shot choices — but it replaces every moment of authentic or moving emotion with bombast and hyperbolic overemphasis. Read full review
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