Synopsis: 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.

Based on a novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

My Review: I was very wary about going to see this movie because I have been burned by my experience of watching the Twilight series on the silver screen, not to say that the Twilight books were the height of fine literature.

What I WAS worried about was sitting through a movie that consisted of 30% plot and 70% smoldering looks.

I have read Beautiful Creatures and I liked the novel but it did lag in certain places and it was mostly because it was establishing the mythos of the world that the authors had created.

With that said, the screenwriter and editor squished 500+ pages into two great watchable hours of movie.

Yet, I must give it to cast of the movie for making it so enjoyable. Alden Ehrenreich as Ethan Waite was utterly charming and witty. His delivery was spot on and his chemistry with Alice Englert who portrayed Lena Duchannes was endearing and palpable. When these two were on the screen, it was hard to tear your eyes away from the screen. Happily, there was not one lingering or smoldering stare between these two.

The supporting cast was also superb and rightly so as they are Oscar caliber. As a result they gave this movie much needed gravitas, because in all honesty these parts could have been given to a less seasoned cast and the characters of Sarafine, Riley, Amma and Macon could have come across as back wood and comedic.

There were numerous scenes that I could highlight, but my favorite revolved around Lena making a sacrifice that would enable her to protect Ethan and when Amma, the mother figure to Ethan, realizes what Lena has done and she stares off into the distance aching for what these kids are going through. This ties into a sermon that Amma and Ethan sit through and well, it was just nicely done. I even got a little weepy.

Should you see this movie, if you HAVE read the book? Yes. It hits all the key moments and makes you feel like you are not missing anything.

Should you see this movie, if you HAVE NOT read the book? Yes and do not bother reading the book, just get the second book.

Overall, I and my husband liked this movie and we think it would be a great movie for a date night. Actually, my husband said this movie was far better than Warm Bodies. That should tell you something.

P.S. – Sandy Kenyon reviewed this movie for a local station in NYC and he butchered it. I suggest that if you read these types of books and are anticipating the movie adaptations… do not listen to network reviews. These movies are not meant for Oscars, they are just escapist, romantic fun.

We’ve noticed a pattern emerging from all the news that has been filtered through the twitterverse over the last couple of months and that is that the 2013 movie season is all about the young adult books that you and your kids have come to love.

If you troll IMDB, than you will see listings for such projects* as:

• Wicked Lovely – YA Fae
• Shiver – YA Were
• Fallen – YA Angel
• Untitled Vampire Academy Project – YA Vampire
• Untitled House of Night Project – YA Vampire

These projects would never have been thought of if it were not for J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer. These authors allowed Hollywood to tap into a vein of literary gold. Now, Hollywood cannot get enough of the stuff and all we have to do is wait for the right screenwriter, actors and director that can give the audience the same experience that fans of the books had.

Because of the recent success of the Hunger Games, whose second installment will be released in 2013, two YA titles have been pushed onto the fast track and are in full-fledged production mode. The two projects are Beautiful Creatures and The Mortal Instruments.

If you do not know these titles, here is a bit of info on both:

Beautiful Creatures (February 13, 2013)

Cast:

• Lena: Alice Englert
• Ethan: Alden Ehrenreich
• Amma: Viola Davis
• Macon: Jeremy Irons
• Mrs. Lincoln: Emma Thompson
• Ridley: Emmy Rossum

Director: Richard LaGravenes

Writers: Richard LaGravenes, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (August 23, 2013)

Cast:

• Jocelyn Fray: Lena Headey
• Clary Fray: Lily Collins
• Alec Lightwood: Kevin Zegers
• Jace Wayland: Jamie Campbell Bower
• Valentine: Jonthan Rhys Meyers

Director: Harald Zwart

Writers: Cassandra Clare (based on the novel by), I. Marlene King (screenplay)

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder—much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing—not even a smear of blood—to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know.

These movies, coupled with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and the Hobbit, it seems that literature for the kids will be aimed at those who will be suffering from Twilight-withdrawl and to those who are young at heart.

Will you be watching any of the movies listed?