This film could very easily have discussed very interesting moral questions, and thrown in some cool supernatural action set pieces to boot.
It chose not to.
First off, I just want to point out the sex-negativity prevalent even in the film's advertising, pictured above. The girl on the left, Ridley, is one of the film's villains. Look at how she's dressed, and read her tag-line: 'temptation is impossible to resist'. Lena, on the right, is the film's heroine. Low at how she's dressed, and read her tag-line: 'True love is a force to be reckoned with' (spare me). During the film, Ridley explicit seduces a man in an alleyway to accomplish her fiendish ends. I'd really hoped we were past this. I did.
The film's conceit is that female witches (I refuse to pay this film the courtesy of indulging its stabs at being distinctive and naming them 'casters'), when they turn sixteen, will be claimed by either 'light' or 'dark' forces; apparently, men can choose which side they're on.
Ignoring the misogyny inherent in that premise, let's look at the ethical debate which this story line references: its clearly about determinism, and the ol' 'are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?' line. I haven't really seen this discussed much in fiction not aimed at adults- although J.K. Rowling pretty much admits Voldermort was evil from birth due to being concieved under a love potion, so I guess this story isn't entirely peerless.
But then Beautiful Creatures doesn't bother to go into the issues surrounding determinism: SPOILERS Lena quite happily murders her mother, Seraphine, the film's main antagonist, even though we're told that Seraphine was claimed, against her will, by a curse that made it impossible for her to be good. When Ridley, Lena's cousin and Seraphine's lackey, asks to be let go, she invokes how she used to be a good person. She deliberately isolated herself so she wouldn't hurt people. SHE HAD NO CHOICE ABOUT BEING EVIL; the same is true of Seraphine, but Lena callously ends her life anyway.
Indeed, the only reason Lena is saved from the curse is the intervention of her uncle (more misogyny? perhaps)- the scene could've been spared by a 'there but for the grace of Jeremy Irons go I', but this is skipped for more of the insipid romance.
Romance which leads to statutory rape, may I point out. This film is kind of repugnant.
But what of the actual content? It's lacking.
Lena and what's-his-face are dull. They're given the odd funny line, but these are more than matched by the sheer number of 'I'll always love you' moments, which, though perhaps characteristic of teenage romance, are not particularly engaging to watch onscreen.
Emma Thompson is quite clearly having fun. Much more than the audience, at any rate. I think perhaps Richard LaGravenese, the director, who also wrote Voyage of the Dawn Treader and thus has earnt a place on my naughty list, was a bit star struck by Miss Thompson and didn't dare direct her, for fear she ditch this atrocious nonsense and make a proper film. She quite literally dances about the screen, gleeful in her evil- normally, I have a weakness for such performances, but here it just feels shoe-horned in to counteract the sheer monotony of the leads.
The premise could quite easily lead to some epic magic battles; however, we're told early on that Lena is the most powerful caster ever (she demonstrates this by spinning a table) and so no one can really threaten her and, indeed, no one does. SPOILERS They sort of try and make her the main threat in this film, but then she's completely claimed for good and so will presumably now just crush all evil in one fell swoop. I have no idea how this is a series.
Honestly, this film is boring and my problems with its ethics just make it offensive and boring, which is pretty much the worst thing a film can be. Don't think it'll enter the lexicon of worst movies ever, though; it's far, far too forgettable. In a year, no one will remember it and honestly that's all it deserves.
No comments:
Post a Comment