We’ve had new iterations of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Neither of those worked out that well. But does Cinderella fall into that mess with the others? No. It doesn’t.
It is my belief that every remake should be familiar yet new, while keeping the same tone and feel of the original. Cinderella does exactly that. It’s pretty loyal to the 1950 animated movie, but it’s still got some new spins on it.
The part of this movie that I thought was a huge improvement over the original animated film was that Cinderella and the Prince actually had chemistry going on. As much as people may like the cartoon, they can’t really say that Cinderella and Prince Charming had any real romance between them. In this live action remake, they had something going for them. They met before the royal ball. They flirted a little bit, and neither could forget the other. As the movie progressed, it revealed the motives that both characters had that lead them to go after each other. There was a genuine romance there.
Not only that, but the Prince (who is never referred to as ‘Charming’) has a personality! Can you believe it? I couldn’t. But he’s no longer… cardboard, as he once was. It also helps that the actor does a good job. On that note, all the actors do pretty fine in their roles. Cinderella’s step-sisters can be a bit cartoonish at times, but it’s nothing cringe worthy. Cate Blanchett plays the evil stepmother, and I think it was an effective choice. She looks nothing like the stepmother in the cartoon, which I believe is a good thing. The cartoon version looked too obvious. Cate Blanchett’s portrayal is a lot more visually subtle. She can play a downright mean woman rather well.
But the one that completely steals the show is the actress who plays Cinderella. Lily James is absolutely beautiful, and her acting is great. She pulls off her role as good as anyone could hope for, and she looks exactly how you’d think a live action Cinderella should. She looks a lot more like a real Cinderella than the plastic actresses in Disney Land.
While the topic of visuals, you’ll be glad to know the film simply looks fantastic. Not only are the effects gorgeous, but the set and costume designs are perfect. I don’t think Cinderella’s dress could get any more lovely. Look at the poster again. Tell me that isn’t perfection. Everything (and I mean everything) looks how a live action remake of Cinderella film should look like.
But visuals aren’t enough for a remake. If you read my review of the 2014 remake of Robocop, I said that its problem was that it looked like a new, cool update of the classic 80’s movie… however, it didn’t feel like Robocop. Does Cinderella capture the spirit of the beloved 1950 animation? Beyond yes. I think this remake had more of that Disney magic in it than the original cartoon did! It is both visually and spiritually a great remake. I strongly believe that Cinderella 2015 is superior to the cartoon.
It was a great film that I recommend to anyone looking for a good family friendly movie this weekend and the weekends after. I loved it.
FINAL RATING: 42 / 50
STORY: 4 / 5
ACTING: 4 / 5
CHARACTERS: 4 / 5
VISUALS: 5 / 5
ROMANCE: 4 / 5
SOUNDTRACK: 4 / 5
TONE: 4 / 5
ENJOYABILITY: 5 / 5
REWATCH VALUE: 4 / 5
OWNING VALUE: 4 / 5
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