Disney’s live-action rendition of its own “Beauty and the Beast” has raked in $690 million worldwide so far, $316 million of it just in America. Reviews started coming in March 3, most of which were generally positive, although some criticized it for just being a shot-for-shot remake with a bloated run time due to a couple of extra musical numbers. As you can see, that didn’t do much to affect how many people are going out to see it.

So why write a review now? Because if you’re on the fence about seeing something you think you’ve already seen, this reviewer is telling you totally should go.

Yes, it is a shot-for-shot remake … mostly. Even many of the original lines from the 1991 Oscar-nominated Disney film are here, with some slightly tweaked in one way or another. But this “Beast,” although not better than its original rendition, packs a different bite and experience altogether.

The newest in the line of Disney’s live-action interpretations of its own vault of films is like a sweeping and grandiose Broadway musical with a budget on steroids. Everything technical is done beautifully, full of color and light and a storybook aesthetic that has translated amazingly onto the screen. Beast’s castle alone should be a shoo-in for next year’s Oscar for best production design.

Everything is great here, though — this isn’t just another paint job and cash in remake. Walt Disney Pictures, the cast, the crew and director Bill Condon have sunk an incredible amount of care into this film. It’s also worth mentioning that although I loathe 3-D movies most of the time, this is absolutely worth the extra admission to see in said format, purely for the sight of Beast’s castle.

The talent is top-notch. Emma Watson as Belle is as smart and caring as you remember, though it feels like she adds just a hint more of a feminist touch, which definitely adds to what the character needed. That’s not to say the original Belle wasn’t a feminist character; Watson’s just feels more pronounced and proud to be so. To put it simply, Watson plays her exactly how you would expect to meet Belle in real life.

Josh Gad’s Lefou is fabulous — and yes, the buzz is true: He has a few moments that (hilariously) imply he has a bit more than a man-crush on Gaston. If that is really going to deter you from seeing this movie, don’t bother going outside anymore.

Which brings me to Luke Evans’ Gaston, the scene-stealer of the movie. Evans, I believe, deserves better work than he’s been getting. Although he’s been in multiple duds like “Dracula Untold” and was a mediocre villain in the latest “Fast and Furious” flick, he is a very entertaining actor when he is given good material — and he gets it here.

Evans chews the scenery as Gaston, and loves every minute of it. Like Watson’s Belle, Evans’ Gaston is exactly how you would expect to meet him in real life: boisterous, crude, obsessive, unabashedly sexist, and at levels of narcissism that are off the charts. He really is everything Belle isn’t, and it’s creepy with how he plays the manly “nice guy” card for manipulative purposes. Also, his performance of the song “Gaston” is one of the best things in the movie.

In the opinion of this review, however, Dan Stevens gives the best performance as Beast. His mannerisms and characterization are spot-on, playing him exactly how he was in the original. Though you may think this is taking the route of “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it,” it must have been much more complex for Stevens, motion-capturing Beast with not only everything you are familiar with, but adding facial tics and many more lines.

There is less of a divide between the audience and this Beast as there was with the animated original, which makes the character a bit more sympathetic in this version: You are able to see the humanity try to show through the animalistic features of the character. There is also just a bit more backstory added, showing his cold-heartedness was a result of tragedy and upbringing rather than his own choosing.

Disney has effectively preserved everything that is loved about its 1991 animated film, and made it even more grand and with an incredible amount of respect and love. This is a version that needs to be seen in theaters.

Does this version need to exist? No, not really — but life’s better with things that make you smile, and this is one of those things.

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“Beauty and the Beast” is playing at the Riverside Cinema in Aberdeen.

George Haerle holds a bachelor’s degree in creative writing for media and lives in Cosmopolis.

walt Disney pictures Dan Stevens and Emma Watson appear in “Beauty and the Beast.”