By: Cynthia Ayala
A beautiful fairy tale come to life. Cinderella captures the real beauty of the story, of a girl who is stripped of her title, of the person she once was by the cruelty of her stepmother and stepsisters.
Lily James plays Ella, nicknamed Cinderella by her wicked stepsisters, and the daughter of a merchant who becomes a widower. But after a few years he opens his heart to Cate Blanchett and takes in her and her daughters.
What makes this such an excellent film is the way it was written. Ella isn’t some damsel in distress who needs to be saved. Obviously she needs to be protected from her abusive and cruel family, but this character can handle them. It goes alongside tat saying “kill them with kindness,” which is what happens. Cinderella is a good role model from for all young girls because she is kind and she doesn’t let the bad get her down. She doesn’t let it overwhelm her or crush her into believing that kindness is worth nothing unless reciprocated. No, Cinderella is all about compassion, love, and forgiveness are the greatest strengths that any person can possess. And Lily James captures that perfectly. In her expressions and the way she acts and carries out her lines, her inner beauty, that of Ella, just jumps off the screen and entrances the audiences.
Director Kenneth Branagh and screenplay writer Chris Weitz did such a magical job bringing this fairy tale story to life. While it is almost a carbon copy of Disney’s Cinderella the actors and the way they carried out their parts gave it a life of its own. Ella is more than just a character to sympathize for; she is a character viewers can empathize with because she isn’t just a character, her personality gives her life, makes her real.
This was a beautiful retelling of the tale of Cinderella exploring all facets of all the characters, building them up to be real characters. Add in the special effects and viewers are given such a wonderful, magical, and beautiful film. (★★★★ | A-)
– Film Credits –
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Screenplay by Chris Weitz
Based on Disney’s Cinderella & Cendrillon by Charles Perrault
Starring: Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgård, Holliday Grainger, Derek Jacobi & Helena Bonham Carter
Genre | Rating | Length: Fantasy, Romance | PG | 1 hr. 45 min.