Beautiful Creatures
User Score
5.9 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 60 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 60
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 60
  3. Negative: 13 out of 60

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  1. Bart
    Feb 15, 2013
    0
    A total tween chick flick. Another film trying to pick up on the awful Twilight franchise. Some decent talent, but no storyline at all, and highly predictable. Tell your girlfriend you liked it, but I think I would have been better off staying at home and eating a pool of my own vomit.
  2. Ghosthack
    Feb 18, 2013
    9
    For what it claims to be, this film is nearly perfect. Make no mistake, this film IS a supernatural teen romance. That said, it has clever (and legitimately funny, in the right way) writing, genuine acting and an interesting set up. Some of the dialogue is a little canned/forced, the narrative breezes through summaries that could have used more explanation, and the story does come across as formulaic. But honestly, who goes into a film like this expecting to be surprised by plot points? Unlike flicks like twilight which survive mostly on built in appeal (in that, if you haven't read the books, the movies are bland, boring, outright bad FILM, regardless of what you might think of the source material), Beautiful Creatures is a fun, balanced and enjoyable film for the uninitiated. (though I've heard that some changes were made from the source that might turn off dedicated fans)

    If you like the genre, you SHOULD see this film. It is easily the best version of type on film, so far. If the trailer looked interesting to you, and you go into the film expecting nothing more than what it claims to be, you should be pleasantly surprised.

    Pros:
    A supernatural teen romance with a little more brains
    Solid Acting
    Mostly good writing.

    Cons:
    Doesn't really try for anything "more" than its genre
    Some weak/canned dialogue
    low-ish budget effects in some scenes.

    I am actually excited to see this film become a franchise, and hope to see it do well.    … Expand
  3. jennanana
    Feb 21, 2013
    0
    absolutely awful, do not waste your money on this piece of trash! trying to compete against actual good films. i do not think so Beautiful Creatures! do not watch!
  4. MarcDoyle
    Feb 22, 2013
    6
    This one took me by surprise. It has much more charm and passion behind it than I though it would. It just gets a touch boring around the mid-point, but the end ultimately rescues it. The leads are well-cast, and the veteran supporting actors (Irons, Davis, Rossum, Thompson) are terrific they didn't get the message that you're supposed to mail it in for this type of paycheck movie. Viola Davis, in particular, is outstanding in her smallish role.… Expand
  5. TVJerry
    Feb 21, 2013
    6
    It's opposite day in teen romance world: Instead of vampires, it's witches (or Casters, as they call them). Instead of Portland, the deep South. Instead of a mortal girl, it's a boy, He (Alden Ehrenreich) isn't a pretty boy, but has charm and personality. She (Alice Englert) isn't typical pretty either, but can act OK. Much of the screen time is spent with the two of them talking. Not much real drama is generated. There are some decent special effect sequences, but nothing dazzling. The supporting stars (Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson, Viola Davis) add most of the movie's character. It's never outright bad and may appeal to young fans of the novel, but if you're looking for a mismatched romance see "Warm Bodies" instead.… Collapse
  6. Bikerjames
    Feb 18, 2013
    7
    A friend of mine talked me into seeing this with him. He knows I hate the Twilight franchise, and this seems like it's aimed for the same market, but I went anyway. It turned out to be WAY better than Twilight. The acting across the board was good, and the dialogue was believable. It also had some humor throughout, unlike the over-dramatic melodrama of Twighlight. Alden Ehrenreich was a charmer in the lead role, and the movie would not have been a success without him. The film did feel a little rushed in its pacing towards the end, like they knew they had to wrap it up. Overall, better than expected.… Expand
  7. dannyhernanny
    May 6, 2013
    7
    This was much better than the critics/users scores imply. Yea its a bit of the now typical supernatural movie, but the lead characters are so darn cute and charming it really makes it much more enjoyable.
  8. GabrielaRodB
    May 7, 2013
    7
    I thought it was a great movie, you know some flaws in the script but it was highly entertaining. We have to remember this movie is based in a book that's for Young Adults so as a movie based on that kind of books it was great.
  9. Brutus54
    Mar 17, 2013
    6
    OK. Extra points for nice production design, engaging characters, and reasonable special effects. Basically, this is just romantic posturing by teenagers in a supernatural context, but with lots of humourous touches, and with a strong evocation of plantation life and environments not to mention good ol' boy/girl redneck values. Jeremy Irons stands out in the supporting cast, probably because of his hideous cravat. And any movie that makes you feel as if you have missed out on something important by not reading (and particularly by not reading Vonnegut and Bukowski) deserves a speciql commendation.… Expand
  10. Nesbitt10
    Mar 23, 2013
    5
    Clearly, "Beautiful Creatures" is aiming to fill the void left in the world following the conclusions of the "Twilight" and "Harry Potter" film series. Fantasy fans needing to sink their teeth into something new could do worse than this film adaptation of the first book of Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's Caster Chronicles. Like The "Twilight" Saga, "Beautiful Creatures" adapts a young novel series and tells a story of teen romance with supernatural elements. Thus, comparisons are inevitable, and the studio makes the wise decision to open the film on Valentine's Day, the one day of the year when romance movies are not just tolerated but eaten up in theaters. Young love blooms between Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich), a literati wannabe stuck in small-town Gatlin, South Carolina, and Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert), a visiting witch. Much is made of the two reading and quoting Kurt Vonnegut, Henry Miller, and the street poetry of Charles Bukowski. Lena is worried about being claimed by the Dark, so what should she do to avoid such a fate? Well, for one and the primary concern of the plot here she needs to stay away from the nonmagical "mortal" boy she's fallen for. Adapted and directed by Richard LaGravenese ("P.S. I Love You, The Freedom Writers"), "Beautiful Creatures" doesn't do the best job of storytelling. Late in the film, I was confused and surprised to discover there were two distinct villains, not just one, with the power to resemble others. That seems like critical information that should be spelled out more clearly than it is. Decently acted and nicely shot, "Beautiful Creatures" cannot sustain the intrigue of its opening and literature. It's warmed-over "Twilight", with witches instead of vampires, only the witches are called casters-- as in spell casters. When Lena hits her 16th birthday, she'll be called to fight with the light side or the dark side. It's a bigger yawn than it sounds. As supernatural types, Oscar winners Jeremy Irons and Emma Thompson overact so strenuously--and so outrageously awful with Southern accents- that you fear the damage this may do to their reputations. The movie feels longer than it is, and doesn't come together in a way that will engage many adults or kids outside the targeted teen demographic. That, mixed with the film's closed ending---suggests not much of a future for this franchise. Additional reviews at: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/member/Nesbitt10… Expand
  11. mrgamesandstuff
    Feb 18, 2013
    5
    The director of Beautiful Creatures obviously has an obsession to the popular Twilight series. For almost the entire movie I felt as if I was watching a remake of Eclipse with a twist that it was about witches instead of vampires. Special effects were decent but sub-par compared to the new standards set by movies like Prometheus and The Avengers. Really only a few characters stand out from the rest and it is disappointing to see that their talent in acting may have been wasted on this movie. The plot was what was really disappointing overall however. From the beginning of the movie you may have difficulty following along and each event is hardly strung together. This movie would have done much better if the director had decided to break the movie into a possible two or three part series. While normally I would never want to see a movie like this be able to have a sequel, I believe that if it had then the cast would have been able to work on the story more and possibly progress into a movie that could have been at least decent. It is frustrating to see a movie with potential fall so short of expectations like this. If you truly are a fan on Twilight than you might enjoy this but for anyone else, I suggest saving your money.… Expand
  12. diego9901
    Feb 15, 2013
    10
    esta película recicla de una manera excelente lo mejor de la saga de crepúsculo y de harry potter y promete ser un éxito debido a su material de origen
  13. Thegodfatherson
    Mar 26, 2013
    4
    The tween magic is the only only reason you can watch Beautiful Creatures. The film is a very oddball creation based on the best selling book by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl was better in paper but Beautiful Creatures mixed its special CGI effects with a good screenplay and story but still lacks in spaces that need to be fixed. This film is known for its bad effects and direction but in the end it does deliver some odd fun.… Expand
  14. KevinCostner91
    Feb 16, 2013
    6
    For a movie I went into without even knowing what it was about, it turns out its a very sub par movie, my advice is definitely bring a date as it is a chick flick
  15. ALEKS_D_RAVEN
    Feb 16, 2013
    8
    I must admit I went to this movie i had a hunch it would be just another twilightt love based story. Well... its love story but more ambitious than what we know from wampire saga. Besides better main couple acting we have laughing Emma Thompson, Hot-like-always Emmy Rossum- perfect for the role of main b...h, good dialogues(with some exeptions), everything in fantasy sauce......... that shouldnt be so diluted. Also Jeremy Irons could have more expanded role.… Expand
  16. megan_movies
    Feb 19, 2013
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This film may relate to themes of the Twilight Franchise, but Beautiful Creatures is an amazing film. The story revolves around young, schoolboy Ethan and a witch or 'caster' named Lena. Leans 16th birthday is approaching and the day reveals weather Lena is being claimed to the light or the dark. Their love is powerful, but so are Lena's powers. Altogether, the film is a beautiful, love story involving suspense and secrets. Beautiful Creatures is the first of a trilogy, and I'm deeply looking forward to watching the next film.… Expand
  17. lleky
    Feb 23, 2013
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Argh! I don't know how I feel about this movie! I was so friggin' excited for it. I read the book before because I was worried I wouldn't understand, but it felt like I didn't NEED to do that because at LEAST half of the story line was changed!
    I really loved the book, the story, the characters (especially Ethan). But I felt like I watched something that ripped the gist of the story! I liked the movie, but I felt like it didn't present the story like it should have. Like, where was Ethan's mother? She is more than a "dead" person. And the sisters? Instead there are all these changes like Macon loved Ethan's mother? Ah, say what? And Link? Don't want to ruin that bombshell for everyone. But, what the hell is life?
    As I said, I liked the movie but I didn't love it like I thought I would. The trailers make it enticing, but if you've read the book like I did, then you kinda feel a little ripped off.
    The story is more than a "new" Twilight, but the way the movie panned out it's like the writers thought "yeah, let's make it Twilight and people will love it!" No! No one wants a new Twilight! I wanted Beautiful Creatures, and got Beautiful Something-Something.    … Expand
  18. LaGuerta
    Feb 26, 2013
    2
    A decent premise and cast wasted in a film which takes itself too seriously and is too long to have so little of interest going on. I would rather have watched a Twilight film.
  19. AlexandraG
    Mar 16, 2013
    10
    This movie is simply amazing! The actors did an awesome job. The visual effects where really good! I recommend this movie to people that like love stories and magic.
  20. Markosvini
    Mar 24, 2013
    8
    O filme bom porem deixa a desejar na parte efeitos especiais, para quem leu o livro fica uma sensação de que o filme uma imitação barata do livro, mas isso não faz dele um filme ruim!
  21. nicolexo
    May 1, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I, for one, read the whole entire Caster series before I saw any of the movies and the movie is NOTHING like the books. However, the movie is still quite enjoyable and a perfect genre for my liking (paranormal romance). On the other hand, the books, in my opinion, are better worded and contain a better ending than the film, as well as other aspects to the plot that were not included in the film, such as Lena and Ethan reading each others minds, the inclusion of Marian (the true keeper of the Lunae Libri), and Boo Radley (Lena’s caster dog). Also, in the film Macon is a powerful caster when in truth, he is an Incubus and entirely different than the casters. I believe the inclusion of Macon’s incubus form would have called for a better plot.

    P.S. Ridley’s hair is not red! It’s supposed to blonde with pink highlights!    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
52 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 40 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 40
  3. Negative: 4 out of 40
  1. Film.com
    Reviewed by: Laremy Legel
    Feb 26, 2013
    75
    This film could have gone horribly wrong, but the characters and chemistry are strong, and as such Beautiful Creatures should be lauded for elegantly delivering a tale that at least feels fresh and vibrant.
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  2. Total Film
    Reviewed by: Steve O Brien
    Feb 22, 2013
    40
    A semi-successful slice of Southern gothic panto. 

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  3. The Guardian
    Reviewed by: Xan Brooks
    Feb 16, 2013
    40
    The plot is wildly silly and shot full of holes, maundering endlessly on its slow trawl towards the climax. But the cast at least play it like they mean it, and keep it honest for a spell.
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