Review of Cinderella (2015) by Mrmoviebuff — 26 Jul 2015

This isn't the first time that Disney has done a live-action remake of a classic animated film...nor is it the first time we've seen a "Cinderella" story adapted to the big screen. As we all know, Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland' (2010) and 'Maleficent' (2014) were complete misfires as they either didn't stay true to the original, or the execution of their stories were flawed in many aspects.

There were many reasons for me to dislike this "Cinderella" remake, as it feels like a cash-grab (which it still kind of is) and there is no reason for it to made or seen.

Lily James from 'Downton Abbey' plays the title role and packs more dimension and personality than we've seen before. She makes her character easier to relate to and she is more than just a damsel.

Cate Blanchett is Tremaine, the evil stepmother, and as expected, she gives a menacing performance.

Aside from telling you the main story, which you've seen before, nothing has changed...we do get a glimpse of Cinderella's childhood, including seeing her mother (Hayley Atwell) and father (Ben Chaplin) as they raise her. This is exclusive to the movie as it shows what really happened to her mother, and her father gets more than just two lines of dialogue like we've seen in previous adaptations.

The movie is told like a traditional fairy-tale, we hear Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother narrate the story as Cinderella goes through childhood to being a young adult.

Richard Madden ('Game of Thrones') plays the prince who meets Cinderella before the ball, which is the only thing different to the original adaptations, but doesn't ruin the entire story.

While 'Cinderella' (2015) may not be the most modern or pro-feminist movie that we've seen in recent years, but the elaborate production design and well-acted cast make this movie a breeze and the fact that Disney didn't rely on some modern twists is refreshing as it doesn't butcher the story.

On a side note: Walt Disney Animation Studios has also released the short film 'Frozen Fever' which follows Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) trying to surprise Anna (Kristen Bell) for her birthday, but things don't go according to plan as Elsa's cold causes chaos.

The short film relies on slapstick, physical humor and features a new song "Making today a Perfect Day" which isn't quite as catchy as previous songs, but if you have children, they will be entertained for a good seven minutes.

'Cinderella' (2015) may not be groundbreaking, but it's better than most remakes.