Film Review: Beautiful Creatures

Beautiful Creatures. Rated M (supernatural themes and violence). 124 minutes. Written and directed by Richard LaGravenese. Based on the novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

Verdict: The latest entry in the teenage love affair with a supernatural twist genre.

Someone has decreed that the next generation simply cannot get enough supernaturally-inspired shenanigans – and the rest of us could easily be forgiven for approaching this story of opposing supernatural powers and their mortal prize with a roll of the eyes and a hearty groan. If Beautiful Creatures suffers by comparison to every other film and television series that plays with similar themes (Twilight, True Blood, and so on), the deadly whiff of familiarity is occasionally overpowered by two charming, heartfelt and charismatic lead performances from Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert.

When Ethan Wate (Ehrenreich) realises that the new girl at his school Lena Duchannes (Englert) reminds him of the girl he has been dreaming about, he is determined to get to know her better. In spite of being warned off by his guardian Amma (Viola Davis) and Lena’s creepy protector Macon Ravenwood (Jeremy Irons), Ethan eventually discovers that Lena is a ‘Caster’ (as in spells), and the impending battle between the forces of good and evil for her soul will either bring them closer together or destroy their budding relationship completely.

While writer/director LaGravenese (writer of Water for Elephants, The Horse Whisperer and writer/director of P.S. I Love You) elicits fine performances from his young leads, the rest of the cast deliver uneven performances that range from Emma Thompson’s (in the dual roles of Mrs Lincoln and Sarafine) rampant over-acting to Davis’s understated turn as the mysterious Amma. His script, while boasting an engaging central love affair, suffers from way too much exposition, over-written and over-played supernatural business that eventually becomes boring, and a convenient (but equally dull) subplot concerning the American Civil War.

Regrettably, the few sparks of invention and originality (such as Lena introducing Ethan to the works of Charles Bukowski) soon vanish within the mayhem, and one is simply left to wonder what it all meant. And why it all had to take so long.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.