Cinderella 2015
Somehow I never saw Disney’s animated version of Cinderella from 1950, but it is a pretty well known story and I heard good things about the live action remake in 2015, so I watched it on Starz. I knew Lily James from watching Downton Abbey where she was always bubbly and beautiful, so she seemed like she would make a good Cinderella, which she does. However, the movie seems not quite as rich as it should have been, with an almost made for TV look to it. I’m not sure why that was, but there were some odd things going on with the focus at times too. The CGI was also a little underwhelming. I think one problem with the story is the characters are so extreme, with the evil stepmother and stepsisters being so merciless towards Cinderella (one of the stepsisters is another Downton Abbey alum) and while Cate Blanchett has some interesting fashions as the stepmother, the stepsisters just look like clowns, but are more mean than funny. It is hard to get a prince right, but I think Richard Madden does a good job with a role that is given a little more depth than just a handsome prince. This is a good version of the Cinderella story, but doesn’t seem to break a lot of new ground making it seem a little tired.
Written: 15 Apr 2017
Owned on: Digital