Beauty & the Beast - an outing to GSC, Aeon Bandaraya Melaka

I was tied up for the past two weeks engaged with my European counterparts, who were here for business trips. Thus, before the next wave of visitors arrived, I took some time off on an uneventful 2nd half day to bring my family to the movies. This time, it was to watch the live action Disney remake of the classic Beauty and the Beast. Clarification / disclaimer : this is not a movie review post.

The original plan was to watch the show for the Infineon Melaka Club81 Movie Day. However, due to some complications last month that resulted in a temporary ban of this movie, the show was no longer offered, even after the reversal of the ban by the Malaysian Authorities. This incident postponed the release from 16 Mar 2017 to 30 Mar 2017. Quite a storm in a tea cup, as you can search the Internet for news on credible sites such as : https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/21/world/asia/disney-malaysia-beauty-beast-gay.html

Not wanting to disappoint my kids, especially my daughter, I planned a family outing on my own (as soon as possible, in case the Malaysian Authorities have a sudden change of heart). In Melaka, there are now quite a number of cinemas, but this time I chose the Golden Screen Cinemas @ Aeon Bandaraya Melaka. That's the "New Jusco" to some of us local folks.

In my recent movie going experiences here, I found the staff friendly (from the ticketing counter to the food/drinks counter to the ushers). The hall and seats are also kept in good working order. No stale or smoky smell in the air.

As this show was basically a musical, I chose to go for the show which features DOLBY ATMOS. This was offered in the hall with an enhanced sound system. Only 3 shows per day, perhaps due to lower number of movie goers (as the ticket prices were more expensive). Speaking of movie ticket prices, here's the breakdown:-

Adult ticket:
Ticket price - RM12.22
GST (6%) - 0.73
Entertainment tax (25% of ticket price before GST) - RM3.05
Total - RM16.00

Children ticket:
Ticket price - RM6.49
GST (6%) - RM0.39
Entertainment tax - RM1.62
Total - RM8.50

As you can see, Malaysian businesses have become quite mathematically competent, as the customer is presented with a nice "round" figure while leaving the fractions to the tax breakdown structure. While the GST was fairly new to Malaysia (implemented since 1st April 2015), the entertainment tax has been around since Oct 2011.

The seats were made of PVC / faux leather which was a step up from the usual cloth / cushion seats. Sound was clear and powerful (when needed) without buzzing or distortion. Great for musicals (where this show seems to fall into the category) or action movies where there are lots of sound-effects. Now I'm wishing I had come here watch Les Miserables (you can read about my experience in another cinema over here : Les Miserables Midnight Show at MBO).

As we were just from lunch, we only got a Large Popcorn + 2x Mineral Water (500ml) which comes up to RM12.10 (as you might have guessed by now, a GST of RM0.69 is already inside as part of the price). From these prices alone, you can get a rough idea of what it costs for a typical family outing....

Well, as for the movie, hopefully not giving away any spoilers, it's practically the same story as the 1991 animation (also released by Disney). With some additional songs (which fit seamlessly in with the rest of the original soundtrack). Can't help but compare to the original cartoon from 16 years ago (wah, has it really been that long ago?). Emma Watson (the girl from Harry Potter) really nails the role as the beautiful Belle, and can also sing! :)

As for the Beast and Gaston, the live-action movies have stuck to more "realistic" renditions for these two characters (if you can call a horned, hairy beast realistic). The beast is no longer a towering, um, beast, and Gaston is built more "proportionally" and not like, say, Johnny Bravo. Still, I feel it's a bit of a pity that Luke Evans does not have as powerful and deep a voice as the original voice actor from the animation. Ah, well. At least they didn't replace it with another voice actor (like Darth Vader). Then of course, the rendition of the title theme soundtrack by Ariana Grande and John Legend, the two of which are accomplished singers in this time, but could never displace duet by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson.

I honestly enjoyed this movie. Now just trying to figure out if it was because of re-living memories of the original Disney animation, or was this truly a successful stand-alone. Nonetheless, a great movie experience, enhanced by GSC's fine and complete cinema. I'm not really into the 3D movie hype (My 2 Cents on 3D TV and Movies), but I'm fully supportive of the ATMOS sound system especially when watching the right kind of movies. I'm looking for the right movie to come, to try out ATMOS D-BOX to see if it really is the next level up.

In spite of being rather pricey, will definitely chose to come here for an unforgettable and enjoyable movie-going experience in future!