Release date: 3/13/15
Rating: PG
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden, Helena Bonham Carter, Nonso Anozie, Stellan Skarsgard, Sophie McShera, Holliday Grainger
Synopsis: "When her father unexpectedly passes away, young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and her daughters. Never one to give up hope, Ella's fortunes begin to change after meeting a dashing stranger."--IMDb.com
Overall:
So, Disney's new live action adaptation of Cinderella is sort of pointless. It has nothing new to say. It lacks the clever, feminist believability of its other live action counterpart, Ever After and doesn't quite have the same magical charm of the original 1950's animation. It's a pretty straightforward rehashing of the famous fairytale.
But, that doesn't mean its not a fun movie to watch.
Kenneth Branagh's vision is big and sweeping and pretty to look at. He infuses the classic (and apparently ancient) fairytale with his own little touches of Shakespearean drama; we see at least two cases of concealed identities (a favorite plot device of the Bard) and there's a lot of focus on parents dying. There's an undeniable Christian influence as well. Cinderella is very much a Christ like figure: she's loving, generous and forgiving, almost to a fault (like in her last scene of dialogue with her stepmother). With modern sensibilities in mind, a good chunk of the film is spent giving the main characters richer, more complex backstories. While most of the focus falls on our amiable heroine's ludicrously happy childhood, the prince gets a chance to be fleshed out as well. He even has a few surprisingly touching scenes with his father. The complexities feel a little underwhelming when it comes to the evil stepmother though (not for lack of trying on Cate Blanchett's part). A brief attempt is made to humanize her but its abandoned before it blossoms into anything serious.
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| Sophie McShera, Cate Blanchett and Holliday Grainger as Cinderella's step family. |
The Acting:
The film's success is mostly due to its cast; without them it would feel cartoonish. Leading the pack is the ever graceful Lily James. Most actresses couldn't pull off her character's bubblegum sweetness and still be so likable. It's not all sparkly dresses and pumpkins though; James gives her Cinderella an inner strength and resilience, something the film doesn't play up nearly enough. Richard Madden fits the role of dashing royalty (a skill perfected during his Game of Thrones days, no doubt) with ease and gives him some much needed personality. Cate Blanchett remains impressive, as always. She's quite adept at portraying villains by now, especially ones that need to convey a wide range of emotions (see: Hanna). Helena Bonham Carter does her best "Helena Bonham Carter". She's as much a scene stealer as you'd expect her to be and it's a shame she's not in more of the film (it was jarring to see her in a blond wig and poofy dress though).
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| Richard Madden as the prince. |
Best scene:
Cinderella and the Prince's first meeting in the woods. It's obnoxiously cute but the chemistry is there. It will leave you grinning (and swooning over Madden's eyes!) like a Cheshire Cat in the dark.
Runner up scene: the transformation of the pumpkin.
Also: My favorite running gag of the film was that hilarious goose.
To see or not to see: See it! Sit back and enjoy the pretty cheesiness.
Grade: B+
Watch the trailer:
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