CINDERELLA (PG)
Released by Walt Disney Pictures
Reviewed by Adam Mast
Kenneth Branagh’s lavish cinematic take on Disney’s CINDERELLA really works! Rather than putting a new twist on the material, as Disney did with ALICE IN WONDERLAND and the overrated MALEFICENT, Branagh takes a very straight-forward approach here and the end result is sweet, charming, magical, and unabashedly old fashioned. At its best, this film is every bit as enchanting (and in some ways, even more so) than the wonderfully entertaining EVER AFTER starring Drew Barrymore.
In CINDERELLA a delightful Lily James is the title character, a pure, good-hearted young lady who is left to deal with a mean stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and two snooty step sisters (Sophia McShera and Holliday Grainger) following the untimely departure of her noble father (Ben Chaplin). Eventually, a chance encounter with royalty (Richard Madden) and a run in with her Fairy Godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) lead this lovely soul to the realization that perhaps dreams can come true.
Branagh, working from a faithful screenplay by Chris Weitz (ABOUT A BOY), is no slouch when it comes to material like this and CINDERELLA seems like a stronger fit for his talents than last year’s tepid actioneer, JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT. As previously stated, Branagh and Weitz have, more or less, taken Disney’s animated CINDERELLA and made a straight forward live action version out of it. As expected, the technical aspects of this picture are positively superb, most notably the spectacular (and very real) sets, the gorgeous costumes, and the stunning cinematography.
The special effects aren’t half bad either, and I fully admit that I was all smiles as Cinderella makes a mad dash from the castle in an effort to get home before her carriage turns back into a pumpkin. It’s an exciting sequence to watch. Furthermore, the CG mice that keep Cinderella company in her cold, lonely attic are absolutely adorable.
Branagh has also managed to assemble a picture perfect cast. Lily James isn’t overly glamorous in appearance but her cuteness and gracious charm perfectly embody the spirit of this iconic character. Cate Blanchett is fittingly cruel as Cinderella’s stepmother and while there is a moment of sympathy, Branagh and crew resist the temptation to completely alter her persona as Disney did last year with MALEFICENT. Rounding out a terrific supporting cast are a cute and quirky Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother, an honorable Richard Madden as the Prince, a heartbreaking Ben Chaplin as Cinderella’s father, a shifty Stellan Skarsgaard as Grand Duke, entitled Sophia McShera and Holliday Grainger as Cinderella’s stepsisters, and a stern but loving Derek Jacobi as the King.
CINDERELLA is all about those things that children believe in and what the rest of us believed when we were younger: optimism, magic, love at first sight, etc. And given the very real and sometimes very ugly world we’re currently living in, we could all use a good fairy tale right about now.
While Cinderella herself isn’t in denial of the hardships that sometimes come with life, her outlook on what the world could and should be is admirable and affectionate. Come to think of it, I’d use both of those words to describe Branagh’s wonderful take on this Disney classic.
