Score: 4/5
A fairy tale comes to life once again with Disney’s live-action remake of “Cinderella (2015).”
The film follows the usual storyline with a few extra twists that make it fresh for older viewers and a good introduction for the younger audience.
The movie starts at the very beginning of Cinderella’s life, showing her peaceful family life with her mother and father. The film then leads into her mother’s death which introduces the evil stepmother and step sisters. Her father dies soon after and the film continues where most people remember the fairy tale: Cinderella orphaned and treated terribly by her step family. All of which is capped off by Cinderella’s encounters with Prince Kit, the new name for Prince Charming, and their happily ever after.
This remake does many things well including how the story flows.
It flows as simply as a Brothers Grimm novel would — very classic and not overdone. It’s a true story with an occasional voice-over gently leading the viewer through the film.
One reason for this is the well thought-out cast.
Rising star, Lily James, plays a perfect Cinderella. She captures the right combination of innocent and strong — making the ideal Disney princess. She’s someone viewers can root for, but can also be admired and can act as a role model.
Cate Blanchett plays a striking evil stepmother who many will be captivated with.
She plays the villain very well through treating Cinderella poorly and attempting to sabotage her chance at true love. However, Blanchett is also a fully developed character who is seen having flaws — one being her secret jealousy of Cinderella which rears its ugly head by the climax of the film.
Helena Bonham Carter also makes an appearance as the Fairy Godmother.
Carter adds humor to the film as a clumsy spellmaker when getting Cinderella to the ball. However, she achieves what she does best as an actress in this film by being the quirky, magical character.
Prince Kit played by Richard Madden does a great job of being someone who makes the audience swoon and wishing for his or her’s true love.
Other than the storyline and the acting being very well thought-out, the costumes are also something to fawn over.
The movie sticks with what is classically known for the characters, but adds a twist with interesting patterns, fabrics and silhouettes. The bright costumes match well with the lavish scenery making the film something of a sensory experience as well as a good story.
Disney hits all the right notes with this remake by creating a dream world and putting movie-goers into a fairytale. “Cinderella (2015)” keeps you captivated through its entire runtime and by the end, you don’t want to return to the real world.