“Beautiful Creatures,” the movie adaptation of the first book of “The Caster Chronicles” by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, brought a less-than- typical romance to audiences on Valentine’s Day. Less heroic than the “Harry Potter” series, but not nearly as sappy as “The Twilight Saga,” the film strikes an interesting balance.
Mysterious images of a dark-haired girl have filled Ethan Wate’s (Alden Ehrenreich) dreams for months, making his small town of Gatlin, S.C., where the two types of people are “ones who are too stupid to leave and ones who are too stuck to move,” even more unbearable.
The story continues in a somewhat cliché manner, as it is clear that Ethan is a former high school jock-type who is trying to push away his popular, southern belle ex-girlfriend Emily (Zoey Deutch).
There is, as it usually goes with coming-of-age stories, more than meets the eye, as Ethan’s mother recently died in a car crash. The high school junior’s only real guardian is his housekeeper Amma (Viola Davis), as his father supposedly lives with them
but never makes an on-screen appearance. Gatlin becomes more than Civil War reenactments and town hall meetings when Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert) moves into mysterious Ravenwood home and begins her junior year at the high school, sparking rumors of her family’s Satanism and witchcraft. Ethan, however, has literally found the girl of his dreams, as it seems Lena is the raven- haired girl he has been dreaming about. The rest of his classmates, especially Emily, take an immediate disliking to her, reciting prayers in class, much to the chagrin of their teacher, to rid the room of the devil. The classroom windows suddenly and mysteriously burst halfway into the prayer, slicing slight cuts into the students’ arms and giving them the proof about Lena’s “Satanism” that they have been looking for. Ethan, however, immediately turns from a teenager full of angst to a total charmer, actively pursuing Lena until she is too intrigued to turn him down. Lena’s uncle, “Old Man” Macon Ravenwood(JeremyIrons),seemsdetermined to keep Ethan away, though. Macon’s efforts, of course, cause Lena to only desire Ethan even more.
Every relationship has its secrets, and it doesn’t take long for Ethan to discover Lena’s: she is, in fact, a Caster with magical powers who comes from a magical family line. If that weren’t enough, her upcoming 16th birthday is an ominous event, as she will face “The Claiming,” an event where a Caster’s true nature chooses whether their powers will be light or dark.
As Lena and Ethan delve deeper into their romance, they await not only “The Claiming,” but the impending doom of a curse that just so happens to affect Casters and mortals in their family lines who fall in love.
Lena soon finds out that the curse can only be broken through heartbreaking means, and a presumed to be dead immediate family member and Lena’s longtime absentee cousin, Ridley (Emmy Rossum), are back in town to help the curse along.
The majority of the film, while occasionally cheesy in regards to the romance and CGI, is well- developed and darkly charming. Unfortunately, the climax leads to a somewhat messy and rushed final half-hour where the movie cannot quite seem to figure out what it wants to be.
As a newcomer to film, Ehrenreich, undoubtedly the star of the film as Ethan, forms a character that could easily be cliché into a fascinating young man full of depth, insight and quirks. In the meantime, Oscar winner Irons continues to prove his acting chops in the role of Macon, finding the perfect balance between mystery and genuine.
Mercifully, the film’s final few moments stop the story’s downhill decline, and end the film brilliantly with room for a possible continuation.
While “Beautiful Creatures” did not leave me spellbound, it charmed me enough to hope there is a better sequel in the works.
Rating: 3/5
