MOVIE REVIEW - Beautiful Creatures

Here comes one of the biggest surprises you'll see at the movies in a while.  A star is born with 19 year old Alice Englert in the new Beautiful Creatures.

I love having virtually no expectations when going to the movies.  Many times it opens your mind a bit further than normal.   When you see the trailer for this movie, you feel that it's going to be yet another witchy-supernatural movie loaded with special effects and a bunch of bloody violence.  But not here.

This is a real good story, that yes deals with witches or "casters" as they are called here.  But it's also a young love story,  and one that pits real good against real evil. Set in today's world and dealing with real people.  This story although not hugely original, is told very well, at a very nice pace, all delivered by a very good cast, lead by a new star I feel, in Alice Englert.

She is Lena, who is a high school kid in a new school in rural South Carolina. There she meets Ethan (Alden Ehrenreich).   She also meets a ton of closed minds, religious intolerance and prejudice.   She is from an outcast family that the locals think are cursed and witches.  So she is not excepted, except by Ethan.  Turns out that they are correct, Lena is a caster, who is about 100 days away from her 16th birthday.  On that day it will be determined if she will be a caster swayed to "the evil and dark side" or not.   Seems that her young love with Ethan holds the key as to what side she will be swayed to.  And many in her family are trying to get Ethan out of her life.  Will they survive?  And will Lena end up as a caster for good, or will she lead the other casters to the ultimate goal of replacing mortals as the leaders of the world?

This is a very entertaining movie that relies on wonderful storytelling and not special effects for the bang.  This movie also boasts a huge cast, that is perfectly assembled. Joining our two leads are Viola Davis, Jeremy Irons and Emma Thompson.  All very good in their supporting roles really bringing great credibility to this smart and fresh script.

But let's get down to it.  Alice Englert is fantastic as the complicated Lena.  She has to play Lena in many different lights, and really pulls it off well.   She at times is very loving, caring and vulnerable. And aggressive, and assertive in others.  This is a very large role that needed a strong, young actress to pull it off.  Also the fact that she is a relative unknown is a huge plus for her, and this movie.  She is spectacular.

Beautiful Creatures.  Low expectations, big return.  This is very good.