Since we just saw Disney's live-action Cinderella in theaters, today's post is going to be a review. Potential spoilers if for some reason you have been living under a rock and never in your life heard the story of Cinderella.
Our overall impression of the movie was very good. It was highly enjoyable for all of us, including our little sister, which shows that this movie has potential to appeal to a wide range of ages. To be fair, we do like a lot of children's movies, but our standards are high for what makes a quality family movie. In our opinion, a family/children's movie isn't worth the ticket prices or the time unless it can be enjoyed by teens and adults, too. Children understand and relate to much deeper themes than society gives them credit for.
As you would expect from the trailers, this movie is visually stunning. The sets, costumes and effects are all tastefully done in classic fairy-tale style. The brilliant colors are eye-catching, and the scenery is beautiful.
The actors were spot-on. The gorgeous Lily James, who you may know as Rose from Downton Abbey, plays Cinderella. She comes across as stronger than is often portrayed, while still keeping the classic essence of innocence and femininity.
The movie took a characteristic Disney approach to the story, but it did expound upon several facets of the tale that were overlooked by Disney's animated feature. (To clarify, we're not knocking the animated movie - we just liked some of the changes that this director made.) These changes included the following:
- We got to see a bit of Cinderella's happy childhood - the time before her parents died. As shown in the trailer, Cinderella's mother gave her a piece of advice before passing away that becomes one of the main themes of the film: Have courage and be kind.
- Cinderella met the prince briefly in the forest before meeting him again at the ball, so they have a chance to actually talk a little before they declare their love for each other. ;)
- Cinderella interacts with her animal friends and they appear to understand her, but they do not speak as they did in Disney's animated version of the story. We felt that this was a good decision because talking animals tend to work better in animated films than live-action ones (though it should be noted that there are exceptions to this rule).
- The film alludes to pieces of the prince's and stepmother's backstories. Knowing more backstory helps flesh out these particular characters, which makes them more interesting. The prince becomes much more attractive and likable, and the stepmother becomes a more powerful and believable antagonist. Cate Blanchett and Richard Madden did an excellent job of playing these roles.
- Certain details of the magic are briefly mentioned so as to make more sense. For instance, the reason for Cinderella's step-family not recognizing her at the ball is that the fairy godmother worked it into the spell. Also, it's implied that part of the magic of the glass slippers (besides being extremely comfortable), is that they won't fit anyone but Cinderella.
- The audience is given a reason for why Cinderella didn't just run away from her cruel step-family. One never really questions why the animated Cinderella doesn't run away, but - as previously stated - this Cinderella seems stronger and more independent, so a viewer might wonder why she doesn't set out on her own. As Cinderella herself explains, she feels tied to the house of her parents and her childhood, especially since she made a promise to her father shortly before he died that she would keep the memory of her mother alive by taking care of their family home.
Wishing you all a blessed Good Friday and a joyful Easter.
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