Cinderella (2015) - Movie Review

      The Official Cinderella Doll I got from the Disney Store

       SPOILERS!

I really should have done this post the moment I saw it but I wasn't really doing movie review posts by then so I'll be doing this by memory because the DVD/Blu-ray release is not until September! The movie came out March, I get it that they need time and everything but I thought it was kinda pushing it.

This is Disney's live action version of their animated movie from 1950. It features a few well known actors like Kate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter and Stellan Skarsgåd just to name a few and Lily James in the starring role and Richard Madden as her Prince.

Just for a small recap for those who haven't seen the movie or don't know the story, the story is about a girl named Ella who's mother and father die from illness. Before his passing though he married Lady Tremaine who had two daughters of her own. Left with those three, Ella was forced to become a servant in her own house and given the name "Cinderella." An invitation goes out to all the ladies in the land, Lady Termaine tells Cinderella she can't go, Cinderella stumbles upon her fairy Godmother, Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo beautiful carriage and footmen, horses, dress and glass shoes but the magic only lasts until midnight. She attends the ball, her and the prince fall in love. Midnight strikes and she runs away leaving behind one glass shoe. The prince has the shoes tried on every maiden in the kingdom and will marry the one it fits. Eventually they find Cinderella and her and the prince are married.

The End.

I have been in love with this movie before I could even remember. My mom would tell me how I got up every morning and watch it on VHS, which I still have so believe when I said I know this story inside and out. So let's get started!

Cinderella's Parents.

Regarding her parents, in the animated version we do not hear a lot about Cinderella's mother other than the first dress she was going to wear to the ball was her mothers. They did expand her on her a little bit in the live action where she was portrayed by Hayley Atwell (Captain America & Agent Carter TV) who leaves her with a very important quote that I believe is the theme and tagline of the movie, "Have Courage and Be Kind." Her father now we do know she did have and he passed unexpectedly in the cartoon and he also did so in the movie. I know it might have been expected from the viewers but in the movie it wasn't like he was slowly dying, it just happened just like the animated version.

- What I didn't like though is that when Ella found out that her father died in the live action version, she didn't seem as distraught as I thought she would be. I don't know, maybe it's just me but I expect just a little more feeling. Especially when you saw how close they became after her mother died.

Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, Drisella and Lucifer.

The three antagonists. The only comparison that I have is that they had these characters and the stepsisters really only seemed to be the ones that reminded me of the animated version. Don't get me wrong, they got into character and made it their own especially the role of the Stepmother. In the animated version she was very stern and cold and driven, no sign of humour or her losing control at all. The live action version of her is the COMPLETE opposite. She laughs, mingles and is hot headed. 

The Prince.

There's really not much to save about the Prince. You didn't really know much about him in the animated version so it was really cute to see more of an interaction between Ella and him in the live action movie. But to me personally, the best scene is Kit with his Father when he is dying. It's sad but loving at the same time.

Now for the girl herself, Cinderella!

First let me start with the shoes! OMG do I love the glass slippers! It's much a beautiful modern re-take on the classic animated glass slippers from the animated version. I absolutely love them! The dress whoever, don't get me wrong is beautiful but not really what I expected. I expected it to have at least one of the key elements from the animated one. Whether it was either the puffy sleeves, the up-do hair or the black chocker which I loved. But it didn't have either so I was kinda disappointed about that but it's still a beautiful dress! 

I did not like however the transformation from her rags to the ball gown. The animated version was simple yet magical and so special. I believe it was when Walt was asked what his favourite moment (either in this movie or all other Disney animated films) he choose the transformation sequence from Cinderella form her rags to the gown. In this version, the transformation is much more longer and to me did not have the magic I was looking for.

The movie definitely had it's highs and lows for me but the biggest HIGH for me was the chase sequence! In the animated version it was very tense and gave me goosebumps, the music! I don't know why it did but I loved it so much! And this version did not disappoint! The music and the tone, for me it was a lot more light hearted than the animated version. 

The movie was very okay to me. I would give it 3.5 out of 5 stars and that makes me sad as it is one of my favourite Disney animated movies and I really had high hopes. Either way though I will continue to support the Disney movies being made into live action remakes and hopefully be apart of it one day!