Matthew Lickona Ian McKellan makes a fine, melancholy Cogsworth the clock, but the rest of the enchanted servants come off hammy and campy, while Kevin Kline seems lost as Belle's father and Luke Evans turns alpha male Gaston into a bigger cartoon than the original.

Matthew Lickona Ian McKellan makes a fine, melancholy Cogsworth the clock, but the rest of the enchanted servants come off hammy and campy, while Kevin Kline seems lost as Belle's father and Luke Evans turns alpha male Gaston into a bigger cartoon than the original.

Anthony Lane The sheer dexterity is overwhelming, and only the sternest viewer will be able to resist the onslaught of such thoroughly marketed magic.

David Sims Disney has ripped a jewel out of its casing and set it in something far more elaborate; the effect is garish rather than nostalgic, frustrating rather than memorable.

Katie Walsh There's a complicated jumble of gender politics at hand, and any attempt at modernizing the dynamic is more of a random piling on rather than a thoughtful incorporation.

Matthew Lickona Ian McKellan makes a fine, melancholy Cogsworth the clock, but the rest of the enchanted servants come off hammy and campy, while Kevin Kline seems lost as Belle's father and Luke Evans turns alpha male Gaston into a bigger cartoon than the original.

Peter Rainer All the hit numbers... Emma Watson is charming as Belle; and the enchanted servants are voiced by the likes of Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson, and Ewan McGregor. But seeing it will probably send you back to the original animated movie for refreshment.

Peter Travers What Beauty and the Beast rises or falls on is the love story, and here, allowed to slow down to let in intimate moments, the movie catches fire. It's an exhilarating gift.

Kate Taylor Disney's most politically palatable version of the fairy tale yet.