The Film
Pretty boy Kyle (Alex Pettyfer) is sitting on top of the world. He's got money, he's newly elected as his school's student body president and he's got his good looks. He's also got a seriously bad attitude that results in him humiliating Kendra (Mary-Kate Olsen), a classmate rumored to be a witch. She gets her payback by transforming him into someone as Beastly on the outside as he is on the inside. And there is a twist, he has roughly a year to find someone who can see past the surface and love him for who he is, or he'll remain this way forever. And that's where Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens) comes in, as a girl that Kyle barely noticed but who might just be the one to redeem him.
This modern take on "Beauty and the Beast" is of course predictable, there is no surprise there. But the story takes so long to build up that it is little room for any twists or turns along the way. The Blu-ray also includes an alternate ending, which actually offers a better resolution than the theatrical version.
The Picture
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the 1080p 2.35:1 transfer makes the good look good and the bad look really bad. That said Kyle's good looks have some issues on Blu-ray - you can see blemishes on his face pre-transformation. Maybe he's just really vain, but it is interesting that make up or digital correction wasn't used to make Alex Pettyfer "perfect." However, post-transformation the Blu-ray lets you see every scar, cut and tattoo - and it begs the question why he didn't just seek out some truly messed up Goth chicks to find true love as the Suicide Girls crowd would love his new "look."
The shadows and black levels really make this one as well, as much of the story takes place at night with Kyle doing his Phantom of the Opera type thing wandering the streets and lurking about while essentially stalking Lindy. Daytime sequences are also good with vibrant colors of the city and countryside. Beauty is all around in this film, and maybe that is the point.
The Sound
The sound by contrast is practically ugly. The dialog is too low, while the numerous throw-away pop songs are a bit too hot. The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is just very unbalanced, and little is done to provide discrete audio or the ambient sounds of New York City. This is ironic as it is noted that Kyle's tutor (Neil Patrick Harris) is blind and that when he lost his sight his hearing improved. With this soundtrack he'd never notice anything different.
The Extras
As noted this package includes an alternate ending, which is actually more faithful to the traditional B&TB story. The bonus features further include deleted scenes (mostly throwaways), a music video of "Be Mine" by Kristina and the Dolls, and two featurettes: "A Classic Tale Retold: The Story of Beastly" along with "Creating the Perfect Beast."
There is no commentary, not that there is really much more to say about this one, but in the end the extras aren't all that pretty.
Final Thoughts
The story is one that has been told enough, and usually far better. This modern twist brings out little, and honestly who doesn't expect the rich pretty boy to be a smug jerk? About the best part is the end scene with Peter Krause - who plays Kyle's equally smug dad - who may or may not get his. That would be far more enjoyable than the rest of this beastly film.
Product Details
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