Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will
continue publishing this website through June (more...)
Search a Movie:
BEASTLYMovie Reviews
Fantasy romance, based on "Beauty and the Beast," about a callous young man who is transformed by a spell into a beast and must find someone to love him in his new form in order to break that spell. Cast:Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgens, Mary-Kate Olsen, Peter Krause, Neil Patrick HarrisDirector:Daniel BarnzRelease Date:March 4, 2011DVD Release:June 28, 2011From:CBS FilmsRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 35 min
Beastly played to weak reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Tasha Robinson wrote for the AV Club, "...it’s laughably perfunctory, as though everyone involved were too embarrassed to give it more than a half-ironic token effort." • And Rafer Guzman wrote in New York Newsday, "A sometimes clever, sometimes clumsy update of a classic fairy tale.... a movie with a good heart." More Reviews Below...
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "...as superficial and obsessed with looks as the characters and the mindset it rails against, which would seem like a bitter, frustrating irony... at least 'Beastly' is short."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 626 words, 03/03/11
Adam Markovitz, Entertainment Weekly: POOR(cg) "...stunningly bad... Spectacularly poor judgment in everything from acting to costuming... right on the cusp of the so-bad-it's-good Hall of Shame."(See all of Adam Markovitz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 123 words, 03/05/11
Claudia Puig, USA Today: WEAK(cg) "...dogged by awkward dialogue, a ridiculous plot and lackluster performances, especially by the leads, Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 444 words, 03/04/11
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
movie review intelligence
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (11 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: MODERATE "...a surprisingly painless if ragged redo of 'Beauty and the Beast'... the kind of cornball entertainment that rainy afternoons were made for."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 609 words, 03/04/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Certainly better than the word 'passable' might imply... a sly and pleasant-enough young-adult programmer that is more likeable than not."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 398 words, 03/04/11
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: POOR(cg) "...more than lives up to its name with ultra-campy performances, high-glucose direction (Daniel Barnz), laughable dialogue, cheesy effects..."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 220 words, 03/04/11
Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "...a sweet, silly and chaste movie that seemed intended for girls who aren't yet ready for the glistening shirtlessness that is the 'Twilight' series."(See all of Richard Roeper's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,045 words, 03/04/11
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: WEAK(cg) "...so dumb and dishonest, it can't even hold true to the Hallmark greeting at its core: 'It's not how others look at me, it's how I look at myself.' "(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 573 words, 03/04/11
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "There are moments of salty wit to its teen TV sensibility... once again, there are few stories that can't be adapted to the theme of teenaged popularity politics."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 598 words, 03/04/11
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: WEAK(cg) "...a thoroughly dopey reread... the underlying message is a worthy one, but by the time the film gets there the audience's ability to empathize will be sorely tested."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 409 words, 03/04/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "Witty, warm, well-cast and often wickedly funny, it lets Vanessa Hudgens shine and Alex Pettyfer give a hint of what all the fuss over him is about."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 486 words, 03/04/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "...a throwaway TV-level movie made with a very specific tween demographic in mind, and there won't be many fans of it outside that audience."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 81 words, 03/04/11
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: POOR(cg) "The characterization couldn't be more flagrant if the soundtrack creaked out an oldie by a certain ancient pop quintet: You're a candy girl."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 522 words, 03/04/11
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...sweet... I liked this movie, maybe more than I should have, and would be happy to see anything this director wants to do next."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 590 words, 03/04/11
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "Everything and everyone looks very pretty, with even Kyle's disfigurement looking like it would make a cool T-shirt logo; nothing, and nobody, makes any sense."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 422 words, 03/04/11
Howard Cohen, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "Credit director Daniel Barnz, who keeps his young characters contemporary in a world of text messaging and status updates and yet also gives them depth."(See all of Howard Cohen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 509 words, 03/04/11
Mack Rawden, Cinema Blend: WEAK(cg) "In its worst moments, a fast-paced and laughably formulaic essay on how teenagers don't behave.... the film is much better when it's not trying to be a fairytale."(See all of Mack Rawden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 842 words, 03/05/11
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: POOR(cg) "...bad dialogue, soppy montages, and ringing cell phones as a plot device... the fairy tale retains no traces of the beautiful or bestial."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 162 words, 03/03/11
Richard Larson, Slant: POOR(cg) "...the nonsensical events and situations in 'Beastly' function as pretty distractions as the film glosses frantically and desperately over the surface..."(See all of Richard Larson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 566 words, 03/03/11
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: MODERATE "...a surprisingly painless if ragged redo of 'Beauty and the Beast'... the kind of cornball entertainment that rainy afternoons were made for."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 609 words, 03/04/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Certainly better than the word 'passable' might imply... a sly and pleasant-enough young-adult programmer that is more likeable than not."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 398 words, 03/04/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: POOR "...a brain-dead update of the classic fairy tale... not even campy perfs from Mary-Kate Olsen and Neil Patrick Harris can save this ugly snarl of cliches."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 702 words, 03/02/11
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: POOR "The best thing about this movie is that it's only 86 minutes long.... Rarely do films from Hollywood emerge in such an inane manner."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 727 words, 03/03/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Certainly better than the word 'passable' might imply... a sly and pleasant-enough young-adult programmer that is more likeable than not."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 398 words, 03/04/11
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: MODERATE "...a surprisingly painless if ragged redo of 'Beauty and the Beast'... the kind of cornball entertainment that rainy afternoons were made for."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 609 words, 03/04/11
22.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Beastly's reviews are separated by an average 22.7 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Beastly (33 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Beastly's reviews cover 42.6% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 16,652 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 505 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 3.7 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Beastly's reviews on average broke 3.7 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Beastly's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
