Warner Bros. presentation of the film ‘Beautiful Creatures’ is a magical love story of destiny for two star crossed teenagers. Based on the acclaimed young adult novels by authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. ‘Beautiful Creatures’ is the first book in the chronicle series.
It is the story of Lenna Duchannes (Alice Englert) whose family are casters. A family curse, states that on a female heir’s sixteenth birthday, she will be claimed either by dark or light powers. As the days countdown to her birthday, Leena is drawn to Ethan White (Alden Ehrenreich) a teenager who lives nearby.
Ethan has had the same dream every night for months foreshowding his death on a local civil war battlefield. He is shocked when he realizes that Lenna is the mysterious girl in his nightly visions. Despite his impending doom, Ethan would rather spend what little time he has with Lenna than face his mundane life in the town of Gatlin, South Carolina.
If you are not a teenager, it is right about now that you are rolling your eyes and saying to yourself, “Not again.” “Not ‘Twilight’ for witches.” Never fear, ‘Beautiful Creatures’ directed by Richard LaGravenese (he also writes the screenplay) is a visually stimulating movie, creatively crafted with characters that are multi-dimensional. Their lives are filled with secrets, magic, suspense, and even comedy.
The film also stars Academy Award® winner Jeremy Irons as Lenna’s uncle Macon Ravenwood, Academy Award® winner Emma Thompson as Sarafine (her mother) , and Emmy Rossum as her cousin who has been claimed by the dark side, Ridley Duchannes. And, Oscar® nominee Viola Davis as Amma in an unusual role as protector of the town’s many secrets. Together, they battle the forces of fate.
The scenes are visually stimulating with special effects and enhanced by superbly designed costumes created by, Oscar® nominee Jeffrey Kurland.
Alden Ehrenreich is flawlessly cast as a genius among local yokels. As Ethan, he is a wordsmith that expertly delivers wisdom and wit encased in a southern drawl that sounds like the vernacular of Mark Twain.
In contrast, Alice Englert’s Lenna taps into the lonely young girl who is ensnared by her family’s curse. The result is a film whose themes of love and destiny are much more than a motion picture filled with teenage angst.
It examines whether individuals are able to determine their own fates through the power of love and their ability to overcome any predetermined path set before them.
‘Beautiful Creatures’ is the newly crowned successor to the teenage love genre.
Rated PG-13 with a Run Time of 2 hours and 12 minutes.
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