Sitting in the theater, heart racing, captured by the ending of “Beauty and the Beast,” I realized my nose was bleeding. I turned to Julia Zemanek (’18) and asked, “What should do?” I couldn’t leave the theater; I couldn’t miss the movie. Zemanek said “I will ask the lady next to me for a tissue, but I’m not missing the movie.”

The remake of Walt Disney’s, 1991, “Beauty and the Beast” was released in the USA on March 17. It earned $88 million over its opening weekend and $316 million in the next 10 days, in the U.S. alone. Worldwide, the movie earned $690 million, setting a new record for a March opening.

All of the revenue came with good reviews as well. It was rated 7.8 out of 10 by IMDb and earned a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes.

“With an enchanting cast, beautifully crafted songs, and a painterly eye for detail, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ offers a faithful yet fresh retelling that honors its beloved source material,” according to the Rotten Tomatoes Critic Consensus.

The movie captures a beautiful love story: an arrogant young prince (Dan Stevens) and his castle’s servants fall under the spell of a wicked enchantress, who turns him into the hideous Beast until he learns to love and be loved in return. The spirited, headstrong village girl Belle (Emma Watson) enters the Beast’s castle after he imprisons her father Maurice (Kevin Kline). With the help of his enchanted servants, Belle begins to draw the cold-hearted Beast out of his isolation.

The set was enchanting and the costumes were beautifully complex.

Emma Watson perfectly captured the unique, free spirited Belle.

“I liked it better because it was real people,” Erin Sistek (’18) said. “I really liked how Emma Watson played Belle.”

It was directed by Bill Codon and the screen play was written by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos.

The movie also featured Luke Evans as Gaston, Josh Gad as LeFou, Ewan McGregor as Lumiére, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts.

As of now, it is listed as the number one movie in the world.

New York Times hails it dazzling and Time Magazine proclaims it beautiful.

“It was fantastic,” Konkus said. “It was way better than the original. I felt like I was actually in the castle.”

The element of real people brought the story to life for children and made it more enjoyable for adults.

“I feel like adults could enjoy the story more because it’s not animation,” Sistek said.

It was heartwarming when the spell was lifted and everyone transformed back into real people and were reunited with their loved ones.

Overall, this new version of “Beauty and the Beast” was enchanting in my opinion. It is appealing to children and adults and brings a Disney classic back to life.