One of the greatest love stories of all time — the beautiful girl falls for the outcast guy. In this case, she falls for a beast of a man, a man so scarred that he is ashamed to show his face. The girl looks past his abnormalities and sees the good within, breaking the curse that a witch cast on him.

A tale as old as time

“Beastly” decently follows the story of “Beauty and the Beast,” while also putting on a modern spin. Kyle (Alex Pettyfer) is a good-looking rich boy that rules his high school, even though everyone hates him because of his cruelty. Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens) is the beauty that looks at the heart and isn’t worried about outward looks. Kendra (Mary-Kate Olsen) is the school outcast that Kyle decides to mess with — unbeknownst to him, she is a witch and puts a curse on him. She brings out the ugliness from within Kyle, thus turning a physical masterpiece, into a beast. Kendra gives him one year to find someone that will love him, despite his hideous appearance, and hopefully teach him the true meaning of beauty.

Film has made-for-TV feel

The overall feel of the movie was average, the script wasn’t spectacular and neither was the acting. However, it is a timeless tale of true love and what being beautiful is all about. This modern tale gives the audience a chance to re-evaluate how they truly view beauty, as well as the opportunity to step back and see how love works. Characters in “Beastly” sacrifice their desires to put others first, which seems to be a morale that is lacking in movies today.

However, there is one small problem — the film had a small budget and it showed. The film is sadly flawed, but does showcase some promising actors. I’ve seen Pettyfer in other films and he’s good — unfortunately, the “Beastly” script did not do him justice. It was also nice to see an Olsen twin in a movie, briefly, but she did a good job at being creepy. Finally, Neil Patrick Harris as the blind tutor was the most refreshing thing about the movie, and his comedic timing was pristine.

Filmmakers unable to convert on story

If only a better team of filmmakers had gotten a hold of this, then “Beastly” might have given “Twilight” a run for its money. All of the elements for a powerful story were there, but the makers just did not integrate them correctly. With all of its downfalls I cannot recommend spending $11 on “Beastly,” but I do recommend it for the dollar theatre — and trust me, it’ll be there soon enough. Keep your $11 and put it towards a DBC shirt.