I think "The Зачарованная Christmas" is proof of this. Having seen it yesterday, I can attest it has a lot of "pros" and "cons", which makes for a mixed bag. So I can understand both people who Любовь it and people who hate it - moderately, though. I would find it weird, to say the least, if someone declared this to be one of the best Фильмы of all time; and I am disturbed to learn that a Популярное reviewer found this to be worst than the Holocaust.
But enough of the introduction (honestly, that is the hardest part). To review the movie, I'll break it down in topics I found noteworthy to talk about. In the end, I'll заворачивать, обертывание it up by giving the main departments a rating and averaging the sumn for the total score.
—The Story—
— The Songs —
I fell in Любовь with Stories. It is a gorgeous song - the melody's so rich. I find I prefer the Brazilian Portuguese lyrics, as well as the singers' performance. But the English version is the basis, so credit is еще than due here. As Long as There's Christmas is heartwarming (and can be fun too, when sung by the objects), but I stand by saying that it would have fared even better with Золушка или Snow White. It is a hymn of hope, and these are the princesses which better embodies this quality. When Belle and Angelique sang the reprise surround by the other objects in the dungeon, I at once thought of Золушка Пение it in the chatêau's attic and the mice listening to her lovingly. And I can see it, clear as day, Snow White trying to convince Grumpy to celebrate Рождество like the rest of the dwarfs.
Deck The Halls is as cheery and catchy as always. A Cut Above the Rest is silly and not annoyingly so. Don't Fall In Love is caotic, sloppy, and the actual scene is even worse - еще about it later.
— The Анимация —
The Анимация isn't amazing, but it is good. It is a bit too cartoony to me. The Цвета lack refinement and nuance. Maestro Forte's CGI comes dangerously close to being an eyesore a few times. But if there's one thing they succeed in, it's making Belle beautiful. Her features are very soft, and she also is еще consistent here than she is in the first movie.
One scene the Анимация blew me off though: Stories. The Анимация was gorgeous, it managed to reproduce the feel of classical, ancient drawings on a fairy tale book. It reminded me of Walter Crane's illustrations at times, which I think was what they wanted.
— Belle —
"The Зачарованная Christmas" Belle is often called a doormat, and while I can see where it is coming from, I think the choice of word might be too strong for the case. Putting it simple, I don't like the scene where the Beast throws Belle in the dungeon and says she'll rot there forever. It is a major step back for his character. And I like it even less when she simply forgives him as if it was nothing. Locking up Maurice was different: that was before he saved her from the wolves, before he showed that there was some good in him too. But I think Belle, in accordance with her character in the original film, would have been indignant and would have stood up to the Beast, if not run away. Because there he was, breaking her trust and being abusive again.
Also, it bothers me that Belle's attitude thorough the movie is basically "If I Любовь Christmas, then everyone must Любовь it too! This Beast will like Christmas, either he wants to или not!" She is right in trying to provide the servants with the right to celebrate Christmas, but she shouldn't try to force the Beast to like it too. She should respect his trauma.
Btw, I really liked the scene about the Yule Log where Beast asks "Is this what Ты wished for?" (I don't know the exact words in English). Clever dialogue.
— Maestro Forte —
I think "Th Зачарованная Christmas" might have worked better without a villain, или at least with a redeemed villain. I think Forte doesn't fit in with the rest of the movie. He is too unscrupulous, too wicked. I think the right portrayal would have been that of a spiteful, decadent old maestro who was not on the prime of his career anymore and thus found the transformation somewhat comforting. He fears change and thus wants Belle far, far away from the замок (but not dead), but in the end he is touched by her kindness and lets go of the rancor.
The worst part is Forte's superpowers. Floating green notes that can shape-shift and actually touch matter, coming to the point of being able to hold the Beast? That is too far-fetched. And let's not even talk about the castle-destroying organ Музыка of doom. The purpose of the Enchantress's transformation of the servants into objects is to their abillities, not to enhance them.
— Wraping Up —
Okay, after expanding my thoughts on the topics that caught my attention, it's rating time.
Plot and Execution: 6/10. Good concepts, but could have been revised and improved before execution. No problems with pacing, but the narrative proves problematic at points, such as when Belle is imprisoned in the dungeons.
Characters: 4/10. The main characters are out of tune with their portrayal in the original movie at times. The villain is over-the-top and not in a good way. The side characters seem to stay faithful to their origins, but they don't cause that much of an impact on Ты this time. Some minor characters from the first movie (namely Babette and the Wardrobe) were abandoned, whereas they could have been expanded on - a missed opportunity.
Music: 7/10. One amazing song (Stories), one touching song (As Long As There's Рождество Reprise), two good songs (As Long As There's Christmas and Deck The Halls), one mediocre song (A Cut Above The Rest) and one terrible song (Don't Fall in Love). I didn't pay attention to the score, which means it is likely very unremarkable.
Animation: 7/10. Decent most of time (6) + Gorgeous Stories sequence (+2) - Forte's bad CGI (-1).
AVERAGE SCORE: 6,0
All in all, while this might not be a fantastic movie или in the same level as the original, it's still a good movie with some stand outs, one that I enjoyed watching.
Well, that's it. I hope Ты have enjoyed Чтение my review of "The Зачарованная Christmas". Thank Ты for checking it out!
