20 best film witches of all time
Beautiful Creatures
Beautiful Creatures is one of those films that has a distinct Twilight feel to it. Sure, there aren’t any brooding, sparkly vampires or pouting teenage werewolves, but there’s plenty of otherworldly thrills to be found. Meanwhile, like any movie based on a supernatural YA series, we’re saddled with teenage protagonists who are “chosen ones” and heirs of destiny or whatever.
Can you tell that the teens in Beautiful Creatures aren’t all that interesting? To be honest, though, these characters were up against some heavy competition. There’s no other way to put it, when you’re trying to act against both Jeremy Irons and Emma Thompson going full steam ahead on the camp train.
Essentially, the tale follows Ethan Wate, a very polite and romantically inclined Southern boy who falls for the mysterious Lena Duchannes. Lena lives with her Uncle Macon (Irons) in a mansion so Southern and so Gothic that the Spanish moss practically jumps out of the screen at you. Macon is thoroughly disapproving of the budding relationship, especially since Lena is that requisite “chosen one” who could be the most powerful witch (or “caster”, as the movie prefers to call them).
Lena’s mother, Sarafine (Thompson) decides to show up and cause trouble. See, her daughter is about to “choose” sides between good and evil. Once a caster chooses, they’re pretty much stuck in one camp or the other. There’s plenty of awkward connections made between Lena’s vampy cousin Ridley (Emmy Rossum), particularly regarding her sexuality and its apparent evil nature.
Still, it’s hard not to like Ridley and Sarafine for all of their over-the-top drama. Sure, they’re evil, but they’re fun. Their sumptuous fashion senses certainly help, too. Even goody-goody Uncle Macon is more interesting. He does have both an array of fabulous suits and a syrupy Southern drawl that’s as fun as it is sometimes incomprehensible. If only the runtime could have focused more on them.