Dustin: 3 of 5 stars Nick: 2.5 of 5 stars Average: 2.75 of 5 stars (Woozy canary)
Dustin: Kenneth Branagh’s take on the well-known (overtold?) fairy tale is pretty much a live-action, frame-by-frame remake of Disney’s animated version of the tale. This version has updated special effects and spends a little more time developing Prince Charming, but it will appeal mainly to little girls.
Why the hell are we reviewing this?
Nick: Because It Follows isn’t released yet where we live. Though I see there is A showing Saturday.
This is one of those films that’s purely for children, and I honestly don’t know whether I would’ve liked it as a child. There’s not much fun. It’s very moody, and a lot of people falling over crying. The single scene I remember being any fun is when the Fairy Godmother transforms Cinderella. I was obviously bored.
Dustin: I was bored through most of the first half, and things sort of picked up during the Prince’s ball. I blame part of this on the fact the story is so familiar there isn’t much room for suspense. But I’m not entirely sure that’s the case. There’s a small handful of movies I can watch over and over and find something new to like. The main reason the first half was boring is because it rushed through Cinderella’s backstory and just injected the elements in the least-imaginable way possible. It felt more like a summary of her life rather than an actual story.
Nick: I think if the wicked stepmother’s backstory was touched upon a bit more the film would have been better served.
Dustin: The movie had us laughing a lot, though unintentionally, because we’re both so jaded. This would have made for some good Mystery Science Theater 3000 moments, but some things have to be muttered rather than blurted out because of the children in the audience.
Dustin: I was bored through most of the first half, and things sort of picked up during the Prince’s ball. I blame part of this on the fact the story is so familiar there isn’t much room for suspense. But I’m not entirely sure that’s the case. There’s a small handful of movies I can watch over and over and find something new to like. The main reason the first half was boring is because it rushed through Cinderella’s backstory and just injected the elements in the least-imaginable way possible. It felt more like a summary of her life rather than an actual story.
Nick: I think if the wicked stepmother’s backstory was touched upon a bit more the film would have been better served.
Dustin: The movie had us laughing a lot, though unintentionally, because we’re both so jaded. This would have made for some good Mystery Science Theater 3000 moments, but some things have to be muttered rather than blurted out because of the children in the audience.
Watching this as an adult, the plot holes stand out more from the original story. For example, why don’t the glass slippers disappear at midnight along with the rest of the gifts from the Fairy Godmother? Also, if the Fairy Godmother really wanted to help Cinderella, why didn’t she just waste the evil stepmother and stepsisters? Or at least clean the house for Cinderella with a wave of her wand so she doesn’t have to spend every day doing menial labor?
Nick: Beyond the montage we really don’t see Cinderella cleaning too much. I was laughing a lot because whenever the Prince asked her a question and she answered with a silent look, one of the little girls in the crowd would say, “Yes!” for her. It was unbearably cute.
Dustin: I think my favorite element of the film was the casting of Cinderella and the evil stepmother. Cate Blanchett was perfect as the stepmother. She has a certain class about her that makes you believe she could be a woman used to status and wealth. Once she has fallen on hard times, she quickly turns vile. At times her performance gave me the creeps, and she was a believable character. We all know someone who is a kiss-up, kick-down sort. And Cinderella (Lily James) was hot!
Nick: My favorite part was recognizing most of the actors from two of my favorite shows. Lily James and quite a few of the other actors either star or have appeared on Downton Abbey, while the Prince and a few others, including his best friend, either star or have appeared on Game of Thrones. So it was fun to see TV actors get their chance at film. I think they all did a great job especially, Nonso Anozie as the captain.
Dustin: I also appreciated Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother. Seeing her wave her wand around sort of recalled her performance as Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter movies, which was fun for me.
Nick: So all in all, we pretty much just enjoyed seeing actors that we knew from other things we love.
Nick: Beyond the montage we really don’t see Cinderella cleaning too much. I was laughing a lot because whenever the Prince asked her a question and she answered with a silent look, one of the little girls in the crowd would say, “Yes!” for her. It was unbearably cute.
Dustin: I think my favorite element of the film was the casting of Cinderella and the evil stepmother. Cate Blanchett was perfect as the stepmother. She has a certain class about her that makes you believe she could be a woman used to status and wealth. Once she has fallen on hard times, she quickly turns vile. At times her performance gave me the creeps, and she was a believable character. We all know someone who is a kiss-up, kick-down sort. And Cinderella (Lily James) was hot!
Nick: My favorite part was recognizing most of the actors from two of my favorite shows. Lily James and quite a few of the other actors either star or have appeared on Downton Abbey, while the Prince and a few others, including his best friend, either star or have appeared on Game of Thrones. So it was fun to see TV actors get their chance at film. I think they all did a great job especially, Nonso Anozie as the captain.
Dustin: I also appreciated Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother. Seeing her wave her wand around sort of recalled her performance as Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter movies, which was fun for me.
Nick: So all in all, we pretty much just enjoyed seeing actors that we knew from other things we love.
This film did intrigue me as it was filmed by Kenneth Branagh whose Shakespeare adaptations I absolutely fawn over. While Cinderella is better and closer to his older material than his last movie that I saw, Thor: The Dark World, it’s still very forgettable with not even the visuals standing out.
Dustin: I’d recommend this movie strictly to families who want to take their little ones to see a well-made children’s movie. This isn’t a revision of the fairy tale and doesn’t really have much to add to it. Not even ironic nudges to adult audience members. But at least it has high production value and doesn’t insult children’s intelligence the way so many other upcoming movies will (you’ll see plenty of trailers for those before this film, however).
Dustin: I’d recommend this movie strictly to families who want to take their little ones to see a well-made children’s movie. This isn’t a revision of the fairy tale and doesn’t really have much to add to it. Not even ironic nudges to adult audience members. But at least it has high production value and doesn’t insult children’s intelligence the way so many other upcoming movies will (you’ll see plenty of trailers for those before this film, however).
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