Ethan longs to escape his small Southern town. He meets a mysterious new girl, Lena. Together, they uncover dark secrets about their respective families, their history and their town.
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.
Englert, who has presence and self-possession to burn, is the standout — but there’s just enough here to make the inevitable sequels a not-entirely-unwelcome prospect.
It's neither scary nor sexy, though it might just do for all the yearning Twi-hards out there.
Beautiful Creatures is silly supernatural tosh with lots of garish special-effects and a surprisingly decent cast.
Had this adaptation of the young adult fantasy-romance taken a few more liberties, it might have been a home run.
More Twilight lite.
It's feistier, funnier and darker than you might think. And it was lucky to get a 12A certificate. Some spells are blood-curdlingly spooky, and the star-crossed lovers' attraction goes well beyond a shared taste in literature.
Atmospherically photographed by Philippe Rousselot, it's handsomely designed by Richard Sherman, who worked on the last Twilight film.
Fails to cast a spell.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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