Review of Cinderella (2013) by Mike P — 21 Dec 2015

In following Disney's current trend of bringing their classic stories to live-action, Cinderella is actually done right in comparison to junk like Maleficent and Alice in Wonderland, largely due to the straight-forward approach and high-class director helming the project.

Kenneth Branagh is a decorated, Shakespearean actor and director who infuses his projects with class, deciding to adapt the story we're all familiar with and focus on exceptional costume and production design to make the fairy tale pop! Lily James from Downton Abbey fame portrays Cinderella and she's quite good at playing a wholesome, kind-hearted person who was dealt a crappy hand in life.

But the real reason to watch this version is Cate Blanchett's brilliantly, cruel performance as the evil step-mother and they do a great job giving her a bit more development and reasoning behind her wickedness! The story plays out exactly as you'd expect, with some minor tweaks, but an element they could've dropped entirely is the mice that she talks to as in this version, it's a one-way conversation and it makes her look insane conversing with rodents who can't talk back.

I also wasn't a big fan of Helena Bonham Carter's portrayal of the Fairy Godmother as she looked more scary then sweet and her awkward performance stuck out like a sore thumb. Those minor quibbles aside, it is a much better adaptation than I was expecting and while I would still prefer the cartoon, it's a great film to show to kids who want to see something a bit more grown-up!