‘Cinderella’ review: As lovely as her glass slippers

I had the lovely chance to see the new Disney live-action remake of Cinderella, and let me tell you, I fell in love. Now, I’m sure most of us know the story as you should, so mind you that when you watch it, you’re already going to know what happens. However, this specific remake totally made the story worth re-watching. It made my imagination soar and I felt like my childhood had intensified by a million. With that being said, let’s dive right into it.

First off, Lily James was the perfect fit for the iconic Disney princess. She brought that character to life more than anyone I could ever imagine. Not only did she fit the shoe, but she looked absolutely stunning throughout the film. Yes, even with a face covered in ash. Her grace, kindness, and even singing was perfect. I could go on forever about it.

Her chemistry with Richard Madden, who played Prince Charming, was uncanny. Hell, they might as well just get married in real life. You probably recognize Madden from Game of Thrones, as he played Robb Stark. My oh my does he play a man of power very well. At least he doesn’t die in Cinderella. (Damn you, George R.R Martin.) As for the rest of the brilliant actors in the movie, they did the best for the role they were given. They played their parts, made me laugh, made me cry, made me even despise them.

Speaking of expectations, my goodness, those costumes. I’m a sucker for time period / fantasy pieces, especially when it comes to the brilliant attire that follows. When I originally glanced at the photos prior, I was already pretty happy with them. Little did I know that I was going to be in awe the entire time over the detail and magnificence of these beautiful gowns.

Every single one must of had hours put into it, and just by looking at them you could tell. I could see every little detail! Honestly, I can’t get over it. But the specific dress that stood out the most to me is Cinderella’s iconic blue ball gown. I loved the way they re-did it for this movie. It brought a whole new perspective on the original costume and I would 100% choose this movie version over any other Cinderella remake. From the butterflies that sat on the tool hugging her collarbone to the little dash of color under the dress, every inch of it was more than I could ever describe.

Moving on to the soundtrack, wow. Like costumes, I’m a sucker for movie and video game scores. This one was beautiful. Some of the songs to me sounded as if they were going to be like the ones from the original animation, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they used some of the same stuff and just modernized it.

The movie itself was brilliantly told and was narrated the entire time. We get to see how Ella grew up, meet her family and the people who accompanied them in their beautiful countryside home, her tragedies, why her step-mother is the way she is, and then from there we continue the story into present time. It works, and it allows people to have a better understanding of the entire thing, especially if they haven’t seen or read the original masterpiece.

It’s great for not only children, but adults too. Kenneth Branagh certainly took my expectations for the movie, had his way with them, and gave them back leaving me in a state of awe and imagination.

Although you may not be a sucker for the cliche happy ending, nor the amount of sappiness and charm Cinderella has to offer, I think we can all agree on how well of a job they did with it regardless. It definitely takes my award for best Disney live-action remake.

There is only so much you can do with a classic, but they knocked it out of that stereotype and caught me off guard with its brilliance. If you’re a Disney fan or even a fantasy fan, I highly recommend it. As for me, I have to see this again in theaters at least 10 more times.

Rating: 4.5/5 Atoms