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Having read the Caster Chronicles
with my daughter Erin, it was logical that she’d insist that I go and see the
Beautiful Creatures movie with her. All through the show we were muttering to each other, and by the time we
walked out Erin was enraged at the liberties the director took with her ‘book.’
I have therefore left it to her to write the review.
But Beware: her review is loaded
with spoilers.
So meet Erin . . . .
You know that excitement you get
when you learn that a book you love and connect with will be brought to life on
the silver screen? That happiness when they cast the person you wanted or the
disappointment when they don’t? And then on the opening night when you are
sitting in the cinema, eating half your popcorn before the lights even go out,
and you have butterflies in your stomach? Well that’s how Beautiful Creatures
was for me. I have followed the Caster Chronicles from the beginning, when the
title Beautiful Creatures was still
done in purple on the front cover.
I have never been so utterly
disappointed and betrayed in my life! Yes, I loved the movie. It was
brilliantly done but it was NOT BEAUTIFUL CREATURES!! They changed the curse,
they cut important characters, they left out things that would have been so
simple to put in. Like Kelting! They left out the Kelting and there were so
many moments when I KNOW that Lena and Ethan would have Kelted.
And the house never changed as it
was meant to. In the book it looked like a prison one day and a palace the next.
I don’t believe that changing the color of the stairs does the book justice.
They cut out Marian! Marian! They
made Amma the librarian. They combined Amma and Marian. It was so different it
was like there was no Amma and no Marian. She was neither of them! Ethan’s
Great Aunts and all the Harlon James’s (Aunt Prue’s dogs) are gone. Aunt Prue
is a big character in the second book!
They changed the curse so that it’s
all female Casters. It is not!! In the book it is all the casters in Lena’s
family because of Genevieve using the Book of Moons to bring her Ethan back.
Yes, she used the book, not just some spell! And she did not kill him! The Book
of Moons, a very evil book, only brought his back for seconds and killed him
again. And the book changed her to dark as a trade for Ethan living another
five seconds. That’s the curse!! And suddenly the Book of Moons is not evil?
Umm, excuse me, but it is the most evil book in existence. Amma, in the book,
would NEVER have left Ethan or Lena anywhere near that thing if she could.
And Ethan did die!!! Sarafine
stabbed him! Macon did not take a bullet! Lena just performed the same spell
from The Book of Moons that Genevieve did! But the book took Macon as trade and
the spell worked, but fractured Ethan’s soul.
They did not use Link nearly as
much as they should have. He was a much bigger and funnier character in the
book. Whatever happened to his band? And his dream of being a rock star? Or the
beater? Was it that hard just to do something about those things??!!
No Reece. No Ryan. And suddenly
Larkin is a good guy?? And there is no Abraham or Hunting and his pack. And
Sarafine is the most powerful Dark Caster? What lies! Abraham is!
And Macon is NOT a Caster! He is an
Incubus! Please people, how hard would it have been to just say “not a Caster,
but an Incubus who feeds off dreams so that he is not evil like his brother who
feeds off blood.” Doesn’t seem so difficult to me.
And for those of you who have read
the book listen to this… NO GREEN EYES!!! Come on!!! How hard would it have
been!!!! Lena’s eyes are her signature!! And I quote from Ethan, “slowly she
pulled her hood from her head… green eyes, black hair.” Anyone who has read the
book will understand what Lena’s eyes mean.
Lena did not wipe Ethan’s memory!!
They never even mentioned such a thing in the book!! Where did that come
from!!?? That is complete nonsense!! And it was NOT MACON who told Lena to
claim herself. It was Ethan’s mom’s ghost.
And not a lollypop in sight, nor a
pink streak. Ridley was well played but was not Ridley. How hard would it have
been to just give her a lollypop instead of having her spit food out a window.
The Ridley I know would NEVER have done anything like that!
As much as I enjoyed the movie and
laughed at Ethan’s cute smile and funny jokes, it was not Beautiful Creatures.
That was not the book I love so much. It was something entirely different. If
they had changed the name of the movie and the characters I would have said it
was based on the idea of the book but not the book itself.
Oh, one more thing, no Shadowing
Song. No sixteen moons. Nothing. How hard would it have been!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Come on!!!!
They ruined Beautiful Creatures for
me.
Erin
Like I said, my daughter is
passionate!
Cheers
Gwynneth
