Wuchak RELEASED IN 2013 and directed by Richard LaGravenese, "Beautiful Creatures" chronicles events in a small town in rural South Carolina where a college-minded high schooler (Alden Ehrenreich) becomes infatuated by a mysterious new girl (Jeremy Irons) who recently moved in with her eccentric uncle (Jeremy Irons) at his creepy Antebellum mansion. He learns that they are "casters," immortals with magical powers; and that an evil relative (Emma Thompson) wants Lena for the darkness.The director wrote the script based on the first of four young adult books of "The Caster Chronicles" by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Fans of the book, however, say it's one of the most unfaithful book-to-screen adaptions. Since I've never read any of these books this was irrelevant to me.There's nothing wrong with the production as far as sets, costumes, cast, music goes. It cost $60 million and looks it. The Southern Gothic air is to die for and the first act is intriguing. Unfortunately, the tone is semi-campy where several of the characters are overly cartoonish. It's reminiscent of comic booky Stephen King flicks (e.g. "Silver Bullet" and "Needful Things"), but a notch or two more exaggerated.The first half is also encumbered by an overtly anti-Christian slant. I don't have a problem with movies that depict the evils of fundamentalist legalism, like in "The Mist" (2007), but here the stereotypes are so overdone they don't ring true, not to mention there's no positive depiction of believers to compare with the negative ones (like in "The Mist"). According to this movie, ALL Christians are hateful, rash, judgmental, condemning bigots. Lazy writers love stereotypes because they don't have to write interesting complex characters.Take Lena's first day at school where two girls automatically assume she's "satanic" merely because she lives at the eerie plantation; they then proceed to openly pray for her. It's so overdone, cartoony and eye-rolling it takes the viewer right out of the movie. This doesn't even reflect reality in the modern world anyway: Even in a backwater town in the USA it's more likely that a devout Christian would be persecuted by mocking unbelievers and nominal Christians rather than vice versa. Another thoroughly unrealistic element is how all the top community leaders are ee-vil fundies who GO TO THE SAME CHUCH. Why Sure!To be fair, the second half halfheartedly tries to make up for this by briefly revealing a more positive Christian character and having the pastor give a worthy mini-sermon on sacrifice, but it's too little too late after misrepresenting and offending half of the viewership.Another problem is how the two protagonists suck face too much. The girl's only 15. I'm not saying mid-teenagers don't make-out, but (again) it's so overdone it's eye-rolling.For a better executed and entertaining fantasy/horror flick based on a young adult book series, check out "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" (2009).THE MOVIE RUNS 2 hours, 4 minutes and was shot entirely in Louisiana (Covington, Madisonville, Batchelor, St. Francisville and New Orleans).GRADE: C/C- (4.5/10)

DragonSusie Having never personally read the book, and even being unaware that there is a book series until checking out the film, I am only able to rate the film as it stands. I can understand why people would be upset that the film doesn't live up to the books; I have had that several times with book series that I love. Yet it is surprising to see that others would down rate the film on a standalone basis.Granted, even to my Southern English ears I can hear that Jeremy Irons has a terrible Southern US accent. Yet despite that he is still a versatile actor. The film itself is done in a comedic way, even though this is supposed to be a fantasy suspense romance. Even with the moments that made me jump, I ended up laughing at a few of them. And the storyline had me completely enraptured throughout.The ending was heart breaking, yet with funny and positive moments to break you away from the sadness. The ending scene shows that they could easily make a sequel, if they wanted to, but it's just rounded up enough to make it a standalone. And, from what I've now read up about the books, perhaps it's best that way.All in all, a film I'd happily revisit sometime. And it has tempted me enough to check out the books that it's based on!

jwiley-86292 If you love to hate bad YA novels and their tired clichés, you'll have a blast with this. At least I did. Highly recommended if you like to talk back to movies with friends. I'll admit this has a halfway-decent premise (one of my original stories has a similar premise!) but it is executed with no passion or creativity. I was smiling dementedly throughout this movie at its failures. Let me use the seasoned metaphor of the train wreck--so disastrous, you're fascinated. Take the romantic leads, who share the most brain-melting lack of chemistry this side of Twilight. I honestly thought Bella in the Twilight movie demonstrated a more well- rounded character than the main girl in this! Ethan (I'm ashamed that I picked up the characters' names) makes Kevin Costner in Robin Hood look like a credible hero. That takes a special level of incompetence. I suspect they cast him because he sounded the most Southern. (Ah, the old "actors too old to be playing teenagers" cliché!) Now, I'm not from the American South, so the prevalence of the accent was all the more conspicuous for me. Speaking of which, why should you suffer through this? Emma Thompson plays a stereotypical church lady. You won't believe that, at least. Also: Am I the only one who thinks Jeremy Irons has only got hotter and hotter? The older, more talented actors easily steal the show. Well, there's not much of a show to steal in the first place. I couldn't believe it when Thompson gave Lena that by-the-numbers "Join me and we can rule" speech towards the end! At least the absence of self-awareness gives one cause to laugh at it.This is not the worst story ever conceived; it could have worked better. I will give the movie credit for the following things: 1) No love triangle, and 2) The aged male aristocrat is on the good side. And I was genuinely sad when he died and didn't see it coming. Maybe the book is better, but where's the fun in being awestruck when you can feel smarter than something?

galahnaser teenager Ethan Wate sees his life tremble by his encounter of Lena Duchannesthe. instantly Ethan feels interested in Lena, maybe even in love with her, but here world just seems to be wrecked.Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town she has supernatural powers that are beyond her control. Worst still, a curse looms for Lena at the approach of her 16th birthday a time when the forces of either light or dark will claim her.With "Beautiful Creatures," we continue the seemingly inevitable march toward a cinematic America with a population 50 percent human, 50 percent "other," including but not limited to superheroes, mutants, vampires, zombies, werewolves, mummies, fairies, angels, witches, ghosts, demons and the undefined undead.