Beautiful Creatures (2013)
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A teenage boy falls for a girl who is destined to choose between light and dark on her sixteenth birthday.
The story
In Gatlin, South Carolina, teen Ethan Wate awakens from a recurring dream of a girl he has not met. On his first day of junior year, newcomer Lena Duchannes arrives, who resembles the girl in his dreams. While students gossip that Lena's family are devil worshippers, Ethan and Lena bond after he gives her a ride. Their friendship deepens as they discover a shared connection to the past through a locket. However, Lena's family are 'casters' who can perform spells, and she faces a destiny where her true nature will be revealed on her sixteenth birthday.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Gatlin, South Carolina, teen Ethan Wate dreams of a mysterious girl until he meets Lena Duchannes, a newcomer whose family is rumored to be devil worshippers. The two bond over a locket that triggers a shared flashback to the American Civil War. Lena reveals she is a 'caster' and that on her 16th birthday, she will turn toward light or dark. Two dark casters, her cousin Ridley and her mother Sarafine (who has possessed Mrs. Lincoln), plot to push her toward the dark to purge mortals. A curse reveals that a Duchannes woman will go dark on her 16th birthday because an ancestor revived a mortal lover. To break the curse, Lena must sacrifice the one she loves; she erases Ethan's memories to save him. During a Civil War reenactment, Ridley attempts to force the curse. Macon Ravenwood sacrifices himself to save Ethan, allowing Lena to claim herself. She causes the moon to disappear to prevent the dark from claiming her and seals Sarafine's spirit. Six months later, Ethan's memories begin to return as he visits Lena.
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 124
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Richard LaGravenese
- Writers
- Richard LaGravenese · writer
- Cast and characters
- Alden Ehrenreich · Ethan Wate; Alice Englert · Lena Duchannes; Jeremy Irons · Macon Melchizedek Ravenwood; Viola Davis · Amarie Treadeau, "Amma"; Emmy Rossum · Ridley Duchannes; Thomas Mann · Wesley Jefferson Lincoln, "Link"; Emma Thompson · Mavis Lincoln/Sarafine Duchannes
- Genres
- romantic gothic fantasy; romance; fantasy
- Themes
- destiny; sacrifice; forbidden love; good vs. evil
- Tone and mood
- romantic; melodramatic; gothic
- Setting
- Gatlin, South Carolina during the modern era with flashbacks to the American Civil War.
- Premise and plot tags
- supernatural romance; young adult; witchcraft; time travel elements
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2009 novel of the same name by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
- Franchise connections
- Caster Chronicles
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was considered a box office flop, failing to recoup its production budget.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 47% · review count: 180; Metacritic · score: 52 · scale: 100 · review count: 40; CinemaScore · score: B
- Production trivia
- The musical style of the soundtrack was referred to as "swamptronic".; Dhanni Harrison used some of his father's guitars and equipment in recording the soundtrack.; The film was featured on episode 187 of the comedy podcast How Did This Get Made?
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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