“Sometimes, movies just end up on my list because they’re the big named release. Not because I’ve really thought about it. That’s sort of what happened with Cinderella. When I was planning for this week, I was just automatically prioritizing this since it was the big movie. With my annual movie night happening on Saturday (and the requisite apartment cleaning all day leading up to it), and the inevitable need to recover on Sun, that meant I really only had Fri for movies. Maaaaaybe I could pull off a double, but I really could only bank on one. It came down to Cinderella vs Run All Night. Now, the new Liam Neeson is def much more my speed, but I also was perfectly fine to hold off on this until it was on sale for Black Friday, as many of his action movies have been. But did I really wanna see Cinderella? I kinda know the story already. Torn, I took to IMDB to do some comparison research. As soon as I saw Kenneth Branagh listed as the director I was sold.
Did I choose wisely? Eh, hard to say. Yes, it was the story we all know. There were a few fun new twists, but for the most part, we know what happens. The cast wasn’t really anything to write home about, well except for Cate Blanchett as the step mother. She was to die for, in a delicious way you’d expect from such a seasoned actress. Lily James may have set feminism back a step, with much of her Cinderella spending the movie sighing wistfully. While on the one hand, I did like that there was an emphasis on kindness, a worthy character trait, she was too much of a pushover for my taste. I’m sorry, but I prefer my princesses to have a little bite.
Now the part of the movie that I would write home about is the production value, particularly the costumes. My goodness they were gorgeous. Such vibrant colors and rich fabrics. Don’t be surprised if this ends up taking some Oscar glory next year. So so beautiful.
Somehow the magic seemed to work. Throughout the film, my head would be telling me that it was dumb, or that characters were annoying. Yet at the same time, I’d notice I had the silliest smile on my face. Something was getting thru my icy cold heart. I can’t explain it. Do I ever need to see this again? No, I’ll be happy to look at pretty pictures and keep watching the animated Disney one (which this movie took many many queues from). But for one evening, happily ever after wasn’t such a bad place to be.
Cinderella – \m/ \m/ \m/”