HOLLYWOOD—So many tweens are still recovering from the “Twilight” fatigue now that the series has completed its run at the box-office. Well a new picture sure to take over is “Beautiful Creatures” based on the young adult novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl is a tale of young love involving witches.
Our title character Lena (Alice Englert) is a witch who is dealing with family issues. When she turns 16, one of two things will happen: she will either be good of she will be evil. Sounds crazy right? Things get complicated when she develops a relationship with Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich), a mortal who is a sensitive brood attempting to grapple withLena’s powers and escape his mundane life.
As these two teens embark on a romance they find themselves at the mercy of two forces, the good side portrayed by Jeremy Irons and the evil side portrayed by Emma Thompson. Irons portrays Macon, Lena’s overprotective uncle, while Thompson portrays Sarafine, driven to lure Lena to the Dark side. It’s always great to see young love, but the problem with “Beautiful Creatures” is it totes itself to be something that its not. This is not a picture about good witches vs. evil witches, it’s a picture about a teen discovering just who she is. It’s something we’ve all grappled with in our lifetime, something that many of us are grappling with at this moment.
I was pleasantly pleased with Emmy Rossum’s performance as Ridley,Lena’s older more adventurous sister. One minute she’s an effervescent spirit, the next second she’s a spiteful witch wanting revenge. She brings a duality to a character who is just as conflicted as her younger sister. There is a mysticism about “Beautiful Creatures” that makes it a pleasure to watch; not only does it weave a tantalizing tale of love, but also implements fantasy element to cater to all ages, young and old.
Oscar-nominee Viola Davis also turns up in the picture as Amma, a local librarian who has a bit of knowledge about the events taking place in town. The picture also makes use of its visual effects to draw in those visual effects lovers. Its “Twilight” meets “The Craft,” but a PG-13 version. The cast as a whole deliver fine acting for a tale that at first appears far-fetched, but becomes an enthralling story that appeals to all.
By LaDale Anderson
