OK for kids 13+
Lush book adaptation mixes romance, fantasy, some violence.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Beautiful Creatures is based on the best-selling paranormal romance by Kami Garcia and Maragaret Stohl. Teens and mature tweens, especially fans of the four-part book series, will be eager to see the tale brought to life on the big screen. The movie has even more romance (including kissing, making out, and seduction) than in the book, with the central couple moving out of "friends" mode faster here than they did in the original story. Language includes "s--t" and "ass," and there's gun and magical violence that kills one beloved character and injures a bunch of mean teens. Discussion fodder includes some messages about the dangers of being close minded.
- Families can talk about Beautiful Creatures' message. What is it saying about being open to differences? About censorship?
- How does the Beautiful Creatures story contrast to Twilight? Are there any similarities beyond the forbidden young love?
- Is Ethan and Lena's romance a positive relationship role model for teens? How do each of them make sacrifices for the other's well being? Is it believable for a 15- and 16-year-old to have such an intense connection?
- Fans of the books: What changes made sense for the page-to-screen transformation? What parts do you miss?
The good stuff
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Messages: The movie, like the book, questions the narrow mindedness of anyone who thinks it's right to ban books or outcast strangers just for being different, stresses the importance of making a choice versus doing what you're told, and encourages looking beyond superficial differences for friendships/relationships. Another take away is the idea that it's not really possible to be all good or all bad; most people are a (more realistic) mix of both.
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Role models: Although they have an intense bond, Lena and Ethan's relationship starts off slower and friendlier than in other teen romances. What's more, Lena's decision to make a personal sacrifice to secure Ethan's safety is selfless and kind. Already more open-minded than his peers, Ethan loves that Lena is different than every other girl in his small town. He's really supportive of her and believes in her true nature, in spite of his friends and both of their families.
What to watch for
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Violence: Lena's uncontrollable powers lead her to shatter a set of windows, mildly injuring several of her "mean girl" classmates. In a flashback, a woman resurrects a man from the dead, only to kill him. Under a spell, a young man shoots someone with a rifle, and a magical battle leads to a character's destruction. One beloved character dies. A siren can make men do whatever she wants -- including put themselves in danger. Ethan, usually the only mortal witness to the magic, passes out a couple of times.
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Sex: More kissing in the movie than in the book. Several passionate kisses -- one that literally starts a fire -- and one shot of a brief make-out scene in a bedroom (clothes stay on). One character -- a siren -- wears provocative/tight clothes and can seduce any man to do as she bids. She also has a couple of heated make-out sessions with a guy. A couple of veiled jokes that reference oral sex and the ability to make things grow.
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Language: Language includes a few variations on the word "s--t" ("chickens--t," "bulls--t") and "ass" ("suckass," "kickass," "badass," etc.), as well as pointed uses of the word "bitch," plus words/insults like "damn," "hell," "goddamn," "oh my God," and "shut up."
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Consumerism: Mercedes, Ford, Canada Dry ginger ale, and Google are seen, but, except for Google, the brands aren't part of the story.
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Drinking, drugs and smoking: Adults drink at a dinner.
Fan Reviews provided by
2
Not if you've read the book... by brittney22thomas
...and maybe not even if you haven't. I really enjoyed the book, and with all the discrepancies between the story line and appearance of characters and such, I just couldn't get on board with the movie. How can I say this without spoiling? There is no Marian...Amma does her thing, as well as the job Marian has in the book...and in one of the first scenes, Ethan is cooking his own breakfast. If you've read the book, you know how disturbing that is.
There were other HUGE elements of the story that were so mangled that I'm not sure it even makes sense any more. I really tried not to let these things bother me, and just when I'd moved past one and let it go and opened my mind back up to the movie, another cataclysmic rift would appear, and so it was downhill from the credits on. I wish I had better things to say about it...I love books, and nothing excites me more than a great book-based movie. This one missed the mark.
1
If you read the book, you will be disappointed... by mclaytonbarrier
I personally did not like the film, but I think this is because I read the book and had VERY high expectations. Maybe this is a great film for a date night, but if you read the book you will be disappointed. With any adaptation, you should at least use the book as a skeleton structure. I don't know why they deviated SO FAR from the original story...even the ending was different and WORSE than the book! It left NO jump off for a sequel (in my opinion).
PROS:
-- Alden Ehrenreich is a GREAT actor. I looked forward to everytime he was on screen.
-- The setting was great! I wish we could have seen more of Gatlin. Ravenwood Manor was attractive!
-- Viola Davis, Jeremy Irons, and Emma Roberts CARRIED THIS FILM. They were a delight to watch.
CONS:
-- THE SCRIPT!!! AND THE ENDING!!! (See opening statement)
-- The combination of the Amma/Marian.
-- The LONG, AWKWARD dialogue between the two leads.
-- SOME of the special effects (why did they darken some scenes?)
4
Better than i expected by talismanfarmlv
I didn't read the book but was actually pleasantly surprised as the movie has gotten mixed reviews- i enjoyed the story line and the movie has a decent cast of actors.
1
Love the book series...not the movie by cdbarry43
Ever read an incredible book and then you find out they are turning it to a movie so you get excited because the characters in your mind are going to come alive on screen by some really talented actors and actresses? You happily pay the absurd amount of money they are charging these day, take your seat with your popcorn and settle in for what you are sure will be a great movie. I mean the books were awesome so why wouldn't the movie be? Two words: Train wreck. I was annoyed that such a great book was turned into such a bad movie. They basically just took some of the characters names from the book, slapped the most basic plot the dark vs. light, threw in some more supernatural and stirred it all up. If you don't like to read or haven't read the book, by all means Enjoy! If you read the book and loved how well written it was and how the story unfolded, don't waste you time or your money. You won't ever get those two things back.
3
Beautiful creatures by lilirod23
If your a fan of the book, you will be a bit disappointed with all the changes made throughout the movie. Characters are missing that are important and the ending is not like the book at all. Its nice to see the faces placed to the characters, but the storyline is changed way too much. Its a so so movie
1
So disappointing if you've read the book by seal8280
Granted, I wasn't expecting this to be a stellar movie based on the reviews/ratings I had seen, but nothing prepared me for the disappointment I felt leaving the theater. Wow, talk about leaving parts out and changing the story...nothing followed the right path in this movie. There were a few parts that were recognizable from the book, but the only way this movie would be enjoyable is if you didn't know what was supposed to happen. The ending was totally different. They did not leave an opening to come back for a sequel, not that I would want to, but overall it was just so hard to find the parallels. My daughter had read the book a couple of years ago, while I had just recently read it when they started advertising the movie. She liked the movie because she didn't remember all the parts as vividly as I did. There were some funny commentaries going on in the movie that were not in the book though. I don't recommend seeing this if you read the book and liked it.
5
Very solid movie, even for grownups by hamerman55
I was very pleased with the main characters. They were believable and acted with courage and self-sacrifice (unlike Twilight). The special effects were well done and fitting. Emma Thompson chewed the scenery a little much for my taste, but having not finished the book yet, I'm not sure if this is the script or the character. I'm about halfway through the book, and from the South. My date and I are well out of what might be the target age of the movie, and we both thought it was a pretty good moving, and a good date movie. I cared about the main characters, and found that the movie had a lot of humor. It didn't take itself too seriously (it is a moving about witches) unlike Twilight. In fact, comparisons to that serious doesn't do justice to Beautiful Creatures. I liked this movie a lot, and see movies pretty much every weekend. I recommend it.
4
Just Go. by NS1231
This movie was really good. I read the book and it upset me that director and producer took so much creative license and made the movie so different from the book, but it's also what made me love it. I understand that they had to make the movie a reasonable length, but it bothered me that they blew through like 5 chapters in 10 minutes. I did, however, like how humorous they made Ethan. They brought him to life a little more. If you read the book and you haven't seen the movie, I think you should go watch. I believe it was great! If you haven't read the book, but have seen the movie, I recommend that you read the book. Only because if you were confused on some parts, it'll clarify things. Either way they were both amazing, book and movie. Just see it, no matter if you've read the book or not.
1
Disappointed! by JJBreeze
So Disappointing! Worst adaption of a book ever, didn?t even stick to the plot in the book. So far off. They left out a crucial main character such as Marion Ashcroft and even went into book two a little with Ethan talking about Macon and his mother. They didn?t even touch on how the two main characters Ethan and Lena can communicate through thoughts. Where was the song? Amma lived with Ethan and his father. Where was Ethan?s father? He played a part in the ending of the book. Where were his great Aunts? Lena?s party? The ending was horrible Link never shot Ethan, and Ethan never forgot about Lena. Just found the movie rushed. The movie should have been two hours or more with more thought put into the script, in which all the characters were there to make the storyline memorable.
Pro: The only good thing about this movie was the OUTSTANDING choice with the cast.
3
Disappointing by Powermore_ATL
The Movie is very different compared to the book, with a lot of changes. Don't go if you expect to see a recreation of the novel. The actors did a good job, but I was very distracted by all the changes.