Review: Cinderella(2015)

Review: Cinderella(2015)
*Mild Spoilers Alert
  Do NOT forget to rate and comment on this post when you finish.

Official 'Cinderella(2015)' Poster.

      The live-action adaptation of the 1950 classic Disney Animated movie shows the need for people to watch a beautiful straightforward classic fairy-tale movie.

"Lilly James".

"Richard Madden".

      After years of familial serenity and happiness, young 'Ella'(Eloise Webb) suddenly looses her beloved mother (Hayley Atwell) to illness. After taking care of his daughter for many years, 'Ella''s father(Ben Chaplin) tells his grown-up daughter 'Ella'(Lilly James) that he decides to give marriage another shot. He decided to marry a deceiving widow named Lady 'Termaine'(Cate Blanchett) and invites her daughters 'Anastasia'(Holliday Grainger) and 'Drizella'(Sophie McShera) to live with them in the house. But after his sudden death, 'Ella' finds herself alone and facing her stepmother and stepsisters all by herself. Untrusting and misleading, they torment poor 'Ella' and downgrade her to being their servant, still 'Ella' is determined to make the best of everything. But after a lucky encounter with the future King 'Kit Charming'(Richard Madden), who decides to preserve his identity, an instant chemistry is formed between both of them. Soon the fate of 'Ella' will change instantly propelling forward the classic fairytale we all know as 'Cinderella'. Other major characters include The King(Derek Jacobi), The Grand Duke(Stellan Skarsgard) and 'Kit''s best friend and The Captain(Nonso Anozie).

"Helena Bonham Carter".

"Cate Blanchett", "Holliday Grainger"
and "Sophie McShera".

      All of this started with the 2010's hit adaptation 'Alice in Wonderland', the movie that started the successful Walt Disney Studio trend of adapting the classic and/or animated movies into live action ones, while preserving the integrity of these movies and putting the modern touch on them utilizing the advantages of modern advancement in filmmaking. After that came 'Oz: the Great and Powerful' and last year's 'Maleficent'. All of these movies proved to be successful irritations that grossed millions of dollars at the box office and were accepted by fans and critics to a certain extent. So continuing the trend was obvious. But what differs with 'Cinderella(2015)' is how faithful it is to the source and movie material. While the previous mentioned movies gave their own twists and changes to the original story, people working on the movie decided to remain allegiant to the movie's core plot, while still being able to provide minor changes. And that for me is what differentiates this movie from the previous ones, that it is simply giving audiences a live-action adaptation fairy-tale movie, not focusing on any (in-your-face) empowerment message for the target audience(young girls). This made it fun and gave it the ability to reach other types of audiences wanting to relive a childhood story.

"Richard Madden" and "Lilly James".

"Derek Jacobi".

      Shakespearean-inspired director "Kenneth Branagh"('Henry V', 'Hamlet(1996)' and 'Thor') was back in his element after few action movies('Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit'). This movie showed how inspired he is by "Shakespeare" elements and this totally shows in this movie. His utilization of the exquisite camera work and direction style expanded the grandness that this movie already depicted. Huge props and appraise should be given to "Sandy Powell" on the magical costumes that were provided and the entire team who worked on the detailed set pieces, all elements that elevated the level of the movie. "Chris Weitz"('Antz(1998)' and 'The Golden Compass') provided a script that could be argued with. On one hand his faithfulness to the core story and details (minimal changes) helped give us a simple fairytale movie. On the other hand, not entering deeply into characterization and focusing on the classic trajectory of the plot may be disappointing to many of the audiences. Composer "Patrick Doyle"('Brave') worked previously with "Kenneth" on 'Hamlet' and 'Thor'. His score fitted perfectly with the movie highlighting each setting and emotion that was depicted, while also giving homage to the animated movie beloved songs.

"Lilly James".

"Ben Chaplin", "Eloise Webb"
and "Hayley Atwell".

      As voiced before, from start to finish the movie pretty much takes on the traditional route that the original movie usually pertains to take. The length of the movie is fair and does not take more than it needs to, though this opinion may be rejected by some who thought it could have been shortened. Abstaining to drastic changes and preserving the core story and details turned out to favor the movie, making you really want to simply enjoy the picture. And that is not hard thanks to the use of vibrant colors(sets and costumes) as well as the magical special effects (backdrop sceneries and magical effects). Themes of goodness, love, family relationships and hardships are the most shown, which is much parallel to what we see in Shakespeare plays. The most enjoyable sequence will surely be that of the fairy godmother and 'Ella' during the changes prior to the ball. Other highlight scenes include introductory scenes for Lady 'Tremaine' and her daughters, 'Ella' and 'Kit''s first interaction and of course the entire Royal Ball sequence. The dialogue scenes at few key scenes were a bit dull, while the comedic elements and moments of the movie felt subtle and enjoyable. The intricacies and details in everything in the movie from 'Ella''s home to the pumpkin carriage and even the costumes of each character gave clues and subtle development. And the Royal Castle was surely one of the most majestic things in film history.

"Lilly James" and "Cate Blanchett".

"Richard Madden" and
 "Nonso Anozie".

      "Lilly James" was absolutely fitting as 'Ella'. And what is actually interesting is the chemistry and presence of "Lilly" in reality improved the titular character as a character, refraining to diminish the princess as usually done in these kind of movies. "Richard Madden" was able to propel the character forward, with the material that he was given making this charming prince charming with quality. And the duo's irresistible chemistry surely is recognizable and enjoyable making aspects of their relationship deviate from the cliché elements that usually accompany it. The star of the movie is "Cate Blanchett" without a sheer doubt. Her subtle evilness and the way it developed from underlying to abuse were entertaining, and her '30s and '40s eccentric outfits surely helped play the part. "Holiday Grainger" and "Sophie McShera" were pleasing as Lady 'Termain''s daughters providing many of the humorous moments. "Helena Bonham Carter" as The Fairy Godmother was surely enticing, with many wishing her limited yet delightful appearance was increased. "Stellan Skarsgard" as The Grand Duke played the role he was given, while "Nonso Anozie" was engaging enough as 'Kit''s best friend and The Captain. "Derek Jacobi" surprises as The King and the beautiful father-son relationship that he forms with "Richard". "Hayley Atwell" and "Ben Chaplin" beautifully delivered and stirred emotions as 'Ella''s parents, while the remaining side character were funny and enjoyable to watch(from the mice to the lizards and the duck).

      Many may criticize the route taken by 'Cinderella(2015)', but today an old-fashioned fairy-tale live action movie may be entertaining while subtly bringing forward a simple message of hope, forgiveness and love.

Official 'Cinderella(2015)' Poster.

-'Cinderella(2015)' Info:
-Based on: -Cinderella(1950).
                  -'Cendrillion' by Charles Perrault.
-Starring: Lilly James, Richard Madden, Cate Blanchett, Holiday Grainger, Sophie McShera, Stellan Skarsgard, Nonso Anozie, Hayley Atwell, Ben Chaplin, Derek Jacobi and Helena Bonham Carter.
-Studio(s): Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
-Directed by: Kenneth Branagh.
-Screenplay by: Chris Wietz.
-Music by: Patrick Doyle.
-Running Time: 112 minutes.
-Budget: $ 95,000,000.
-Box Office: -Domestic(US): $ 73,053,000.**
                     -Foreign: 62,400,000.**
-Ratings: -IMdb: 7.9/10.
                -Rotten Tomatoes: 84%.
                -Metacritic: 65%.

                -PERSONAL RATING: 8.2/10.

**Still Showing in Theaters Across the World.

-'Cinderella(2015)' Trailer: