Posted May 2, 2013

By ALEJANDRA GUTIERREZ

Teenage love, surrounded by a halo of magic, and supernatural humans, guide the plot of “Beautiful Creatures” based on the series of young adult literature written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

“Beautiful Creatures”  produces by Richard LaGravense, comes in a time where “Twilight” has already taken over the supernatural teen-romantic franchise; and no one has yet stolen the crown.

Lena Duchannes, played by Alice Englert, is unlike any Southerner in the small town of Gatlin and is struggling to conceal her magical powers and the reputation she and her family have of being involved into dark matters. However, she soon realizes that a secret cannot be hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, played by Aleden Ehreich, has been counting the months to escape from Gatlin, because he wants to go study in New York, or anywhere else in the world, actually; but his dreams are haunted by the most beautiful girl he has ever seen: Lena. Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and decides not to rest until discovering the real connection between them.

Ethan and Lena fall in love. However, they end up being the protagonists of a curse that has been haunting Lena’s family for generations. The rest of the film shows the couple’s insistence to overcome such curse by finding a spell to end the it. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town.

The story, though predictable at times, has positive points such as the performances by Jeremy Irons (Macon Ravenwood), Emma Thompson (Mrs. Lincoln), Aleden Enreich (Ethan), and Alice Englert (Lena). However, despite the nostalgic beauty of its scenery, the wonderful costumes, dark make-up, the spark of special effects, and an open ending that leaves room for the continuation of the saga, the story does not have a smooth flow.

Characters appear unexpectedly, several points are resolved in a pop of fingers, the love story doesn’t deepen as it should, and the movie feels rushed in its pacing towards the end.

Although the movie shows the great success among Hollywood producers to make adaptations of bestsellers, I must admit this film was not a favorite. If you have hopes for young love, want to remember your first love, or just want to be entertained for two hours, go see this movie. If not, save yourself some time and money, and please stay home.

• “Beautiful Creatures”
• Open nationwide: Feb.14
• Runtime: 123 minutes
• MPAA Rating: PG-13 for Some Sexual Material, Scary Images, Violence.
• Starring  Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert, Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emmy Rossum, Thomas Mann, Emma Thompson, Eileen Atkins, Margo Martindale, Zoey Deutch, Tiffany Boone, Rachel Brosnahan, Kyle Gallner, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Robin Skye, Randy Redd
• Genre: Fantasy, Romance