6/10

Beautifully stylish, but narratively safe. Director Kenneth Branagh’s (Jack Ryan : Shadow Recruit) take on the original classic is sure to please fans of the original tale, while offering up a modern look at wardrobe that paints beautiful magic. For those of you living under a rock, “Cinderella” is the story of a princess named Ella (Lily James). After the tragic deaths of both of her parents, Ella is forced to live with her wicked stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and her two shallow daughters. Never one to give up hope, Ella’s fortunes begin to change after meeting a dashing stranger, who turns out to be a Prince (Richard Madden) looking for love. There is a lot to enjoy about this new take, but there isn’t enough risks taken to ever justify it’s release. By now, there are no fewer than twenty Cinderella visions in film. Everyone knows the story, so a story so famously told needs tweaks and alternate storytelling to always keep it fresh. What 2014’s “Maleficient” did was breathe new life into a tale as old as time by turning everything you knew about “Sleeping Beauty” and turning it upside down. “Cinderella” would be fortunate for some of these ideas. The live remake serves as a 90% shot for shot remake, with no serious changes done to the outline of the story. What this does is take away the intrigue of a story, thus giving the fans no shock or awe. The acting is done mostly well. Madden is surprisingly charming despite playing against visual stereotype. He is responsible for many of the emotional investments that the audience makes to the story, as he is an experienced English actor well versed in emotional dramas since his childhood. He never comes off as arrogant portraying the prince. It’s something that makes him more relatable as opposed to other actors cast in similar Disney roles. Blanchett is a little cartoonish at times, but her turn as the wicked stepmother was made for her. Blanchett is one of the best actresses in the world, and she knows how to flip the switch of a scene’s setting with just one look. James was honestly the only problem i had with the casting. She has the visual appearance of a big star in the making, but her emotional depth comes off as a little corny, and even non existent at times. I noticed many scenes when she was supposed to be crying, but lacked tears. She has tears in one total scene, and that’s after a couple of short edits in between. This allows the actor time to be sprayed in the eyes if they can’t find the motivation for waterworks. Cinderella is a character who is innocent and always sees the best in people, but she comes off as naive for her current situation. Too much innocence had me rolling my eyes, and i wish they would’ve given her character a little more motivation. The costumes are absolutely marvelous, and deserve nothing less than an Academy Award. The most extreme of colors are used to stand out for our main characters, and Cinderella’s re-envisioning ball gown is a must see for any fan of the animated film. It’s great to see Disney spared no cost in accentuating the sparkle that surrounds it’s main character. The distance shots are all painting done, but they are breathtakingly beautiful as a taste of this fairytale land. Castles are the heart of a land filled with fields and forrest as far as the eye can see. One thing i hoped for a little bit was more songs. The film surprisingly only has one song that is barely hinted at. It’s brought up twice during the film, but other than that, we get no musical mentions. Overall, “Cinderella” might not be the home run that Disney was hinting at in it’s trailers dating back as far as a year ago, but it does pack a meaningful punch with the sentimental feelings attached to when we were children during our first telling of this tale. It’s a story that continues to be passed down to generations of children, and that is perhaps the only meaning it needs as to why it has stood the test of time.