'Cinderella' Review

Cinderella Movie Review:

Good Old Disney Magic

BY IAN TAN

          ‘Thor’ director Kenneth Branagh brings us a modern, live-action retelling of the fairytale and Disney classic Cinderella, and it’s a good one.

            The first thing that stood out to me about this film was its gorgeous production design and costumes, as expected from a Kenneth Branagh film. Golly gee, were they a joy to look at. In fact, the whole look of the film is reason enough to see it in a cinema, or better yet in IMAX to fully appreciate the meticulous detail involved in every set piece. The score by Patrick Doyle and the visuals are great too and help bring the sense of Disney magic to life.

            As far as performances go, this film is filled with the charm and talent of its ensemble cast. In typical Disney fashion, we have characters we can’t help but to root for, and others we just cannot stand. The latter role is taken up by Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother, and what a dislikable character she was. Disney is known to have some really nasty villains, and Cate Blanchett fits the role of the evil stepmother perfectly. Richard Madden is charming as Prince Charming, however, I still preferred Chris Pine’s rendition of the character from Into the Woods a little more.

No need for 3D to make these colours pop

Speaking of Into the Woods, Lily James is a better Cinderella than Anna Kendrick was, as I didn’t really buy Kendrick as Cinderella. I know they’re both different takes on the fairytale, but I can’t help but compare the two films considering that Into the Woods came out a mere two months ago.

Cinderella and Prince Charming's second meeting in cinemas this year.

There really isn’t anything I really have to complain about in this movie. The only thing that bothered me slightly was that Cate Blanchett, being the great actress she is, outshines Lily James’ Cinderella character, making the villain of the film more memorable than the titular protagonist. Other issues people may complain about could be its predictability, but we all know the Cinderella story anyway, so that wasn’t a problem for me.

'The Shining' Twins and Evil Mom Ultimate

All in all, Disney’s made a Cinderella film that I believe this generation will remember for long time. Besides being a wonderful retelling of the fairytale we all know, Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella is filled with trademark Disney heart, wonder and magic.

Final Verdict

Cinderella gets 8.9 out of 10 stars – A perfect family watch for this school holiday.