Once upon a time, a famed British director named Kenneth Branagh (Thor, Hamlet, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit) and a writer named Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass, American Pie) took on an iconic fairytale that resided in a special place in children’s hearts and memories the world over. That special fairytale was called Cinderella, and their version, though it couldn’t ever compare to the first, was a raging success nevertheless…
All tropes aside, Branagh’s Cinderella was so cute! The film deviated from Disney’s animated version (and, as expected, the traditional European folktale). This time around, Branagh decided to include expository backstory that wasn't depicted in the Disney version, like Cinderella’s childhood and her mother's death. It gave her mother and father faces and a larger, more important role, and showed Ella as a child. Oh yeah, and her given name is Ella in the film (I didn't like that so much). Nevertheless, a narrator recounted this first act’s exposition like a fairy tale, hitting several key emotional highs and lows of Ella’s adolescence. The film rushed through the deaths of both her parents, maybe as to not dwell in that emotional low too long. They did manage to induce some emotional reaction in the audience, but I think they could have been given more weight and could have been more grounded, instead of being glossed over. I mean, that sucks. Both parents gone at such a young age; it's a big deal. The other deviations were fine and worked well enough to be inoffensive.
The score was gorgeous, and Cinderella's theme was just dreamy and magical enough. However, I wish they would have utilized some of the original music from the animated classic outside of the credits. Using "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" would have pushed the cathartic impact even more (and would have just been nice). I think it would have added to what is already a nostalgic experience for older audiences.
Of course, Cate Blanchett was great as the wicked stepmother. The filmmakers and Blanchett added dimension to the character, doing a touch to humanize her by giving her visible reasons of intent and allowing her character to be visibly hurt and react to that feeling. The stepsisters weren't completely despicable, also, as they added comedic relief in scores. Lily James and Richard Madden were marvelous, as well, although Madden as the prince was more penetrable, rounded, and human than James as Ella.
The movie was a proper fairy tale. It was nice and romantic and triumphant and it transported you to a place of magic and childhood and dreams. It wasn't surprising in any way, but it didn't disappoint me at all, either. The filmmakers accomplished what they set out to do. Just as her stepsisters looked upon Cinderella with utter and sheer heartfelt, desperate longing right after the Prince named her his fiancé, the film made the audience wish we were in her place and that we were in fact Cinderella herself. There were tears and laughter, and at the end, huge smiles, reminding us that the kind thing to do, is always the right thing to do, and that a little bit of love and belief can go a long, long way.
Rating: A
The score was gorgeous, and Cinderella's theme was just dreamy and magical enough. However, I wish they would have utilized some of the original music from the animated classic outside of the credits. Using "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" would have pushed the cathartic impact even more (and would have just been nice). I think it would have added to what is already a nostalgic experience for older audiences.
Of course, Cate Blanchett was great as the wicked stepmother. The filmmakers and Blanchett added dimension to the character, doing a touch to humanize her by giving her visible reasons of intent and allowing her character to be visibly hurt and react to that feeling. The stepsisters weren't completely despicable, also, as they added comedic relief in scores. Lily James and Richard Madden were marvelous, as well, although Madden as the prince was more penetrable, rounded, and human than James as Ella.
The movie was a proper fairy tale. It was nice and romantic and triumphant and it transported you to a place of magic and childhood and dreams. It wasn't surprising in any way, but it didn't disappoint me at all, either. The filmmakers accomplished what they set out to do. Just as her stepsisters looked upon Cinderella with utter and sheer heartfelt, desperate longing right after the Prince named her his fiancé, the film made the audience wish we were in her place and that we were in fact Cinderella herself. There were tears and laughter, and at the end, huge smiles, reminding us that the kind thing to do, is always the right thing to do, and that a little bit of love and belief can go a long, long way.
Rating: A
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