Once upon a time, in a faraway land, Beauty and the Beast was made into a live-action movie and released on Mar. 17, 2017. With high-profile actors such as Emma Watson as Belle, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts and the incredible source material that director Bill Condon was working with, the show was guaranteed to be a success. And with a record-setting opening weekend at $170 million dollars, it’s obvious that the tale as old as time won’t be going out of style anytime soon.

I was able to go and watch Beauty and the Beast on Thursday night, and let me tell you, it was definitely worth not getting home until one in the morning. To begin with, the setting and CGI for this movie was incredible, from the first moments of when we see the Beast’s castle right before the Enchantress curses him to the ending where his ballroom is once again filled with dancers in 18th century finery. The outfits were beautiful and ornate, with my personal favorite being Belle’s wedding dress at the end. (Of course, I liked her patented gold dress, but there was just a little something missing from it. Also, I didn’t really care for the straps.) And, obviously, the CGI on the Beast was amazing. I don’t know how long it took or how much it cost, but it paid off big-time.

The acting didn’t inspire awe, but still managed to portray the beloved characters well. Emma Watson brought something new and infinitely more fierce to Belle (although, I did miss the whimsical and curious feeling that I got from the original Belle, I do appreciate Watson’s attempts to make the princess a stronger role model for young girls.) I loved Luke Evans as Gaston. I’ve seen lots of things talking about how Evans brought a villainous side to Gaston rather than an egotistical goofball, but I found the live-action Gaston easier to sympathize with than the animated Gaston. In the animated version, Gaston was all muscle and weird chin and just seemed more vain in general. In the live-action version, I didn’t feel like we had a reason to hate him in the very beginning. (Obviously towards the end I was like, “Woah, Gaston, chill. Who tries to kill their potential father-in-law?”) Josh Gad was brilliant as LeFou, but Gad is just one of those actors who brings a lot of fun and life to any character he plays. Dan Stevens was a great Beast; I enjoyed the relationship between Belle and the Beast, how they bonded over books that they’ve already read rather than Belle teaching the Beast to read, although there is something solely sweet and beautiful about that. And don’t even get me started on the Beast’s new song, “Evermore.” As much as I would have loved to have heard “If I Can’t Love Her” from the Broadway version, this song was incredible and brought tears to my eyes.

Speaking of the Broadway version, I had really hoped that some of those songs would make it into the live-action movie. Evans could have brilliantly pulled off “Me,” the song that Gaston sings when he proposes to Belle and subsequently drags her all across the stage. And while Belle wasn’t as sentimental in this version, more determined to get home and away from her captor, I really wanted the song “Home,” where Belle sings about dealing with her captivity, in the movie. It’s extremely emotional and beautiful, and a perfect song for the movie.

However, I can understand why they didn’t want to give Watson any big solos. While her voice is pretty, it is extremely obvious that all of her singing is auto-tuned. I wish they had left it as is; maybe pulled a Les Mis where they had the actors sing on set. I realize for some songs, such as “Gaston,” that might have been hard, but there were plenty of opportunities for on-set singing.

Other good things about the movie include: background on Belle’s mother, background on the Beast, a new character named Maestro Cadenza played by Stanley Tucci (which adds a sad romance that is highlighted in another new song, “Days in the Sun,” and sets the scene for Disney’s first live-action interracial kiss), and a specific explanation of the Beast’s curse.

Of course, nothing can compare to the original movie, but the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast stays true to the source material while adding things that have the potential to make it its own classic.