Beautiful Creatures (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1559547/) is a fantasy movie based in a small Southern American town called Gatlin. It follows the lives of a girl and a boy as their two totally different worlds collide.
This film is an odd one for me. It’s one that I watched ages ago, and quite enjoyed, but then I forgot all about it until I started watching it again (a very unusual occurrence for me, as usually I remember films and their titles when I have enjoyed them).
It’s an unusual film, and not one that I would think would become a favourite of mine, however, something about it cheers me up. It’s usually a considerable amount of time before I watch this movie again, but when I do, I thoroughly enjoy it all over again.
It has some prominent cast members in it, with Emma Thompson and Jeremy Irons, both of which play fantastic characters, but I think maybe it might be the not so typical ending to this film that really appeals to me. That and the concept maybe? It has some quite good angsty twists in it, which really put the characters through their paces.
I think as well the thing that I like about it, is that they challenge the whole witch mythology stereotyping, giving it an interesting twist, and explaining that just as with all humanity, there are both good people and bad people. It stands to reason that, if there were secret races of witches, vampires, immortals, or what-have-you, then there would be both good and bad individuals within these groups (as this mirrors all societies and groups throughout the world). I think a lot of the issues people have with certain groups/faiths/cultures nowadays is a fear of the unknown, and this movie shows that people should not be labelled because of this, but should be given the chance to show who they really are.
It also shows the pressures people go through growing up to live up to people’s expectations and that you write your own destiny, regardless of what others want – a lesson I think is very poignant in today’s society, where people are forced to conform all too often.
The acting, in some parts, seems a little bit naff, but I think this is done to emphasise the homely and local charm of small-town life and keep true to the characters by giving them a more down to earth and relatable portrayal.
Overall, I would recommend this film to watch, as it has a great little storyline, with some interesting twists and concepts.