Cinderella (2015)

 As much as it pains me to do this, let's talk about last year's “Maleficent.” Now, I've already talked about that film in great detail, so I'll try not to repeat myself too much here. I had said that the film was not only the worst film of last year, but the worst film to come from Disney, and rightfully so. However during the time since my review, there have been some people who have told me that they actually like the film, which I don't seem to get. The script is horribly written, the special effects look unfinished, the acting (aside from Angelina Jolie) is painfully bad, and it all spits in the face of characters we loved since the original “Sleeping Beauty.” I just don't get the appeal, unless you're someone who never knew about the original film to begin with.

I also stated in my review that I wasn't really looking forward to Disney's next live action remake, “Cinderella,” fearing it was going to be another stab in the heart of childhood. We all know the original story of “Cinderella,” right? A poor girl loses her parents, lives in the care of her evil step-family, her fairy godmother lets her go to the ball, meets the prince, and he reunites with her via dropped glass slipper, happily ever after. It's as old as time itself, and the most recognizable telling of this story is the animated Disney film from 1950, with Eleanor Audley as the step mother, Lady Tremaine.

Despite me not looking forward to the new version, just in time for the original film's 65^th anniversary, there were two things that actually did catch my interest to give this film a chance: one being that Linda Woolverton wasn't writing the script (thank god), and the other being that Kenneth Branagh was attached as director. That gave me confidence that they would show a bit more effort and dignity towards this film. And after watching the film with my friend Zack during it's opening weekend...I am surprised to find out that it was very faithful.

The film manages to stay true to the story, but it also adds in some of its own twists and turns to it, that make it stand out as its own identity. One of the major highlights of the film is the production and costume designs. Being done by Kenneth Branagh, a director who is very experienced with Shakespeare, you can always count on him hiring the best designers to make the look of a film feel as real as you can. The look of the manor, the castle, the village, the wardrobe of the cast, it all feels genuine.

Another major highlight I loved was they added more screen time and chemistry to Cinderella and Prince Charming, who are called Ella and Kit in the film. You get to spend more time with these two onscreen, allowing time to get to know each other, instead of meeting that one time during the ball. Not only that, but they manage to update the whole glass shoe incident, with Kit only doing it as requested by his adviser. There are other little moments that do manage to update the story by filling in the problems that the old film had.

What truly sells this film is the casting, because they all do magnificently well. Lily James from “Downton Abbey” does a remarkable job as Ella, someone who always believed her mother's words down to the core, because she was someone who always found beauty in life, no matter how bad it would turn out. James perfectly captured the spirit of who Cinderella was in the original Disney film, and added such grace to it. Richard Madden, best known for playing Robb Stark on “Game of Thrones,” plays Prince Kit Charming. Seeing how Charming in the original film was sort of a blank slate, much like other princes prior, this gave Madden plenty of room to give the character his own spin. He's dynamic and out-going, but at the same time, very picky about some of his choices. Heck, he isn't even perfectly content with royalty, which was actually quite interesting.

Out of all the cast members, however, the weirdest choice was Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother. Don't get me wrong, she was very good in the role, but I find it weird how she got to working in another Kenneth Branagh film again, especially after the controversy they both had in the 90's...just saying. However, the best casting choice is Cate Blanchett as Lady Tremaine. She just embraces this character and chews the scenery so much, it just makes something that sounded good on paper even better. She's manipulative, she's unforgiving, she pretty much is Lady Tremaine. Sophia McShera and Holliday Grainger as Drisella and Anastasia also embrace the characters as well. They're the mean spirited people who are incredible spoiled, and much like Blanchett, chew the scenery so damn much. I also find it ironic how one of them auditioned for Cinderella, yet ended up with the step-sister instead. I'm not sure which one, but it's still pretty damn funny.

Now do I have any complaints about the film? Yes, but it's just one complaint. While the film does follow the original story extremely well, it's also very predictable. Sure there are some things tweaked here and there, you can still know what event will come next. Everyone knows of the story of “Cinderella” forwards and backwards, that you could make a bingo game out of it.

Does this hurt the film too much? Well, not really. We live in a generation where remakes, rip-offs, sequels, prequels, and adaptations are pretty much the standard of Hollywood now-a-days, most of which are dark, gritty, and depressing. It's actually kind of refreshing to see one that's bright and colorful with an upbeat ending to it, much like how “Mad Max: Fury Road” was refreshing to see practical effect action scenes again. It might not be original, but at least it's good, so I'll take what I can get. Sometimes during the harsh reality, you need something to bring you back to a time where all you cared about was hearing your favorite bed time stories. You may know it front to back, but you're always invested.

Overall, “Cinderella” was a complete surprise to me, and in the best possible way. The acting is great, the direction is great, the film has a lot of color to it, and it's something that makes you feel good in the end. If Disney remakes are more like this, and less like some of the previous ones, then I think we'll do fine.

Rating: 9/10