Beautiful Creatures (2013)

"Are you a witch?"
"We prefer the term Caster"

Nothing ever changes in the tiny South Carolina town of Gatlin and Ethan Wate (Ehrenreich) can't wait to graduate high school and get out.  But everything changes when Lena Duchannes (Englert) comes to town.  Lena is the niece of the town recluse Macon Ravenwood (Irons) and doesn't fit in, but Ethan is captivated by her.

Lena and her family are Casters.  On her 16th birthday, Lena and her powers will be claimed for the Light / good or the Dark / bad.  If she goes Dark, nothing and no one that is currently important in her life that will be safe.  Can Ethan keep Lena from turning Dark?


I discovered the novel "Beautiful Creatures" after the trailer for the film first surfaced.  I devoured the novel and plan to read the 3 sequels in the near future.  The novel was captivating and chocked full of interesting characters, so I was excited about the big screen adaptation, and made plans to see it opening weekend.

I want to start by saying that it is an enjoyable film.  Screenwriter / director Richard LaGravenese wisely chose to limit the use of green screen, which is especially impressive during the Harvest dinner at Ravenwod Manor.  Alden Ehrenreich is charming as Ethan.  The adult cast are well-known and bring a level of awesome to their characters.  Also, they visualized aspects of the novel that were abstract, such as the library.

Now let's discuss the problems... I am aware that it is not practical for a 2 hour film adaptation to show every minute detail; TV miniseries are more suited to a faithful adaptation.  That being said, film adaptations should stick to the story, with the ability to remove minor characters and plot lines that do not contribute to the overall plot of the story.  This film decided to do the following: 1) combine 2 necessary characters into one in order to get a bigger star attached to the project.  2) important details are changed, which changes the story.  3) THEY CHANGED THE ENDING.  As a former literature major, I cannot stress enough how that one decision much that changes everything about the story.

So, if you are planning to see the film, I would suggest seeing it before reading the novels.  That way you can only get more information and not be upset by all of the missing pieces.

Beautiful Creatures (2013) 124 minutes
Rated: PG-13 for violence, scary images and some sexual material
Director: Richard LaGravenese
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich as Ethan Wate
Alice Englert as Lena Duchannes
Jeremy Irons as Macon Ravenwood
Viola Davis as Amma
Emmy Rossum as Ridley Duchannes
Thomas Mann as Link
Emma Thompson as Mrs. Lincoln
Kyle Gallner as Larkin Ravenwood