Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella

[MEB]

Hear ye, hear ye. All gents and maidens please draw close and hear these words. Get ye to thy nearest motion picture establishment and cast thy eyes upon one of the finest films ever to grace the screen!!

Director Kenneth Branagh has produced a fairy tail live-action motion picture that will most definitely be recognized as a true Disney classic for decades to come! Only the most cruel of heart and hateful of spirit might find themselves unable to be swept up in the majesty of this lavish and beautiful production! Yes, EVERYONE already knows the story. But never before has the story been told in such an exceptional fashion, with equal parts of cheerful wit and humor, as well as deep loving emotion that will tug at the heartstrings of even the most cynical of our species. And if that's not enough for some of you, the special effects are INCREDIBLE!

The Booth Bijou gives 'Cinderella' 5 out of 5 stars! This film is absolutely magical! This film is epitome of why we go to the movies and why we all love movies that start with "Once upon a time" and end with "happily ever after!"

GET YOUR BUTT TO THE THEATER TODAY!!

Mark

[jPod]

I saw the film a few weeks ago at a private screening and I absolutely loved the carriage-to-pumpkin sequence. I can't wait to see the film again on March 26!

[Holmes]

In Walt Disney Studios' big-budget and largely faithful new live-action update of corporation cornerstone Cinderella, the form shines more than the content. The storyline is well-known and, a few diversions and flourishes excepted, honored here: once upon a time in an unspecified kingdom, protagonist Ella's childhood idyll gives way to perilous domestic blending and ashen-faced servitude in a whirlwind of parental death until her fairy godmother spirits her to a luxurious ball where she can dance with the dashing prince. Kenneth Branagh directs this version with a level of detail-oriented pageantry reminiscent of his masterful and momentous adaptation of Hamlet two decades ago. The camera glides and spins, and the opulent flair of the frame-enveloping art direction—the fabric! the furniture! the paintings! the sculptures!—is outmatched only by the evocative and luxurious costume design, ranging from the malevolent stepmother's severe-chic wardrobe (vile at heart, but astonishing in emerald green) to Ella's central ball gown, a cerulean and crystalline spectacle hypnotic in motion.

Branagh has also convened a fine cast. Two-time Academy Award champion Cate Blanchett is invited to pose, glance with murderous intent, and exude a general, delicious, just-shy-of-camp air of the diabolical. She is fun, but the fresh-faced and relatively inexperienced Lily James may have a harder role. Since this is not a revisionist film, her Ella, as a heroine, must swing widely around any hint of the prefix "anti-." She must not rage against either her tormentors or her circumstances. Instead, she can only quietly cry in private and register as an earnest, heartfelt martyr who believes it impolite to object to inequity. "Forgive them, Fairy Godmother, for they know not what they do!" Within such confines, James delivers a charming performance. She is subtle, but animated. There is an authentic sense of wonder in her eyes, and hers is a great, yet still down-to-earth beauty.

So why does this film, well-designed, well-shot, and acted by a capable ensemble, not soar as it should? It is hard to say. Perhaps it is too picture-perfect, practiced and safe. The intended lows of the drama—the death of various parents, the abuse of Ella in the domestic sphere—never sting, and the intended highs of adventure and romance register as elementary and preordained rather than alive, dangerous, or sexy. A few of the detours from traditional Cinderella lore are undernourished, including the political subterfuge of a modestly dastardly grand duke played by Stellan Skarsgård on autopilot. At the end, despite the various delights on display (sartorial and otherwise), it is hard to not to shrug and say, "Yes, this certainly was Cinderella" and forget much of the experience on the way out.

C+

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Holmes

[Show spoiler]In Walt Disney Studios' big-budget and largely faithful new live-action update of corporation cornerstone Cinderella, the form shines more than the content. The storyline is well-known and, a few diversions and flourishes excepted, honored here: once upon a time in an unspecified kingdom, protagonist Ella's childhood idyll gives way to perilous domestic blending and ashen-faced servitude in a whirlwind of parental death until her fairy godmother spirits her to a luxurious ball where she can dance with the dashing prince. Kenneth Branagh directs this version with a level of detail-oriented pageantry reminiscent of his masterful and momentous adaptation of Hamlet two decades ago. The camera glides and spins, and the opulent flair of the frame-enveloping art direction—the fabric! the furniture! the paintings! the sculptures!—is outmatched only by the evocative and luxurious costume design, ranging from the malevolent stepmother's severe-chic wardrobe (vile at heart, but astonishing in emerald green) to Ella's central ball gown, a cerulean and crystalline spectacle hypnotic in motion.

Branagh has also convened a fine cast. Two-time Academy Award champion Cate Blanchett is invited to pose, glance with murderous intent, and exude a general, delicious, just-shy-of-camp air of the diabolical. She is fun, but the fresh-faced and relatively inexperienced Lily James may have a harder role. Since this is not a revisionist film, her Ella, as a heroine, must swing widely around any hint of the prefix "anti-." She must not rage against either her tormentors or her circumstances. Instead, she can only quietly cry in private and register as an earnest, heartfelt martyr who believes it impolite to object to inequity. "Forgive them, Fairy Godmother, for they know not what they do!" Within such confines, James delivers a charming performance. She is subtle, but animated. There is an authentic sense of wonder in her eyes, and hers is a great, yet still down-to-earth beauty.

So why does this film, well-designed, well-shot, and acted by a capable ensemble, not soar as it should? It is hard to say. Perhaps it is too picture-perfect, practiced and safe. The intended lows of the drama—the death of various parents, the abuse of Ella in the domestic sphere—never sting, and the intended highs of adventure and romance register as elementary and preordained rather than alive, dangerous, or sexy. A few of the detours from traditional Cinderella lore are undernourished, including the political subterfuge of a modestly dastardly grand duke played by Stellan Skarsgård on autopilot. At the end, despite the various delights on display (sartorial and otherwise), it is hard to not to shrug and say, "Yes, this certainly was Cinderella" and forget much of the experience on the way out.

C+

Shame the pieces didn't add up to a better experience for you, but very good review

[Holmes]

I should say: I love the often maligned Maleficent. So maybe my Disney-watching mind is poorly calibrated.

[Diesel]

Originally Posted by Holmes

I should say: I love the often maligned Maleficent. So maybe my Disney-watching mind is poorly calibrated.

I didn't catch Maleficent and didn't plan to. But I bought it for my niece, so I will likely end up watching it on Monday.

[SethRex]

I enjoyed Maleficent, and I certainly enjoyed Cinderella. It'll be interesting to see Beauty and the Beast.

[MEB]

I enjoyed 'Maleficent', but not enough to buy my own copy on Blu-ray and not remotely as much as I enjoyed 'Cinderella'.

This is a VERY broad generalization, but... I think the people that are "the cup is half empty" types will likely prefer 'Maleficent' and the people that are "the cup is half full" types will likely prefer 'Cinderella'.

I have few friends that are more pessimistic in nature and they tend to prefer darker, more foreboding tales. Me, I'm an eternal optimist and I vastly prefer the more upbeat and future-is-bright sort of tales.

Mark

[spiderfan1985]

Cinderella

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Screenwriter: Chris Weitz
Cinematographer: Haris Zambarloukos
Production Designer: Dante Ferretti
Costume Designer: Sandy Powell
Music by: Patrick Doyle
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden, and Helena Bonham Carter
Supporting Cast: Derek Jacobi, Nonso Anozie, Haley Atwell, Ben Chaplin, Stellan Skarsgard, Holliday Grainger, and Sophie McShera



Fair Ladies and distinguished Gentleman. It has happened. The code for fairy tale greatness, of the Disney variety, has indeed been cracked. Kenneth Branagh's sumptuous and emotional retelling of a Disney animated staple is a soaring triumph of magical proportions. The story, I am quite certain, you already know. A young girl named Ella lived a happy life in a pleasant country hamlet of a tiny kingdom with her exceptionally loving and devoted mother and father. When her mother dies of an unspecified illness her father later remarries a widow by the name of Lady Tremaine, who comes with two daughters of her own as well as a devious house cat named Lucifer. After her father dies on a business trip Ella is left under the auspices of a stepmother who will stop at nothing to break Ella's kind and gently courageous spirit by driving her into the ground with hard labor and a steady diet of cruel emotional and psychological abuse. Ella meets a Prince one day in the woods and is unaware of his royal heritage. From there you definitely know how the tale plays out, but under the shrewd guidance of director Kenneth Branagh, Marvel's Thor and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, and screenwriter Chris Weitz, yes he of The Twilight Saga: New Moon and Golden Compass fame (or infamy if you so choose), this well worn fairy story soars to heights of emotional catharsis never before known.

You go into Cinderella already knowing the ending, but in the eyes of Branagh and Weitz it's the journey to that ending that really counts. And what a ravishingly sumptuous journey it is. Cinderella is gorgeous. A visual feast for the eyes' delight courtesy of Branagh's keen eye as a director, Haris Zambarloukos' exquisite cinematography, Sandy Powell's magnificent costume design, Dante Ferretti's opulently royal production design, and Patrick Doyle's airy and non-intrusive score, that also packs an emotional wallop thanks to finely tuned character work from a top flight cast that is headlined by Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden, and Helena Bonham Carter in an indeed very small but crucial role.

Cate Blanchett's Lady Tremaine is every bit as frighteningly malicious, if not more so, than the Frank Thomas animated version voiced by Eleanor Audley. Actually, this version is scarier and even more malicious in her endeavors to beat the living spirit out of Ella. She's given a backstory that explains some things, but it is never used as an excuse (thank you Chris and Kenneth) to let her off the hook for her hideous treatment of the girl she is supposed to be a mother figure for. Lily James is simply radiant as Ella. In a move taken straight from the original source the name Cinderella has been restored to its original status, not as a lovely name for a beautiful young woman, but instead a mean spirited put down of a nickname stuck to Ella by her obnoxiously spoiled and dumb stepsisters that Lady Tremaine takes and turns into a psycho-emotional cannonball fired straight at Ella's sense of worth as a human being. The cruelty Ella faces in this movie is not tiptoed around. Branagh lets his camera stare it right in the face, forcing his now captive audience to suffer along with the determined heroine. Lily James' Ella is such a warm and loving presence that it is truly difficult to watch her slowly be stripped of nearly everything that makes her so, to the point that when Helena Bonham Carter's lovably dotty Fairy Godmother does show up, poor Ella is on the edge of falling into an abyss of total and utter despair. However, because Branagh and Weitz know what they are doing, all of this pain makes the emotionally cathartic payoff of the famous magical transformation and ensuing ball all the sweeter to savor. Ella in that fragilely gorgeous blue gown is a vision truly worth seeing. This whole section of the movie soars high on the wings of pure giddy elation. Ella's joy is our joy. Her tears are our tears. I was tearing and had a smile on my face throughout this entire stretch of the movie. Bonham Carter's Godmother is, as mentioned, a very small part indeed, but her warmth and genuine care for the young woman she has taken into her charge shine through and make the scene count in a big way.

And what of that Prince Charming? Well, I am happy to report that once again Weitz and Branagh along with a finely chosen Richard Madden have dodged that old bullet that always used to hit the animated classics of yore square in the nether regions. That being the general uselessness of those Princes that, for any number of reasons (a lot of them technical but some…), were always turned into nameless and soulless cyphers with all the personality of a burnt out tree stump. And Cinderella's Prince from the animated version was definitely one of those. He wasn't even a character. He was a tissue paper thin stick figure of a supposedly charming, because that's his name, and even more supposedly manly beefcake whose introduction to the audience is him yawing in boredom at the ball. Wow. What a keeper! I want to pounce on him myself. "Oh, but he has to be a really charming guy because his name is Charming right?" Yeah, that always works. Sorry girls, but charm alone does not a proper mate make. I don't care how studly and ruggedly handsome you think he is. Madden's Prince is not named Charming, thankfully, and is therefore allowed to prove himself to be more than just merely charming by showing us a generously warm personality that lights up like the 4th of July, oh yes there are both figurative and literal fireworks in this movie, when he meets Ella in the woods one day when she has an extremely understandable breakdown and runs away from her stepfamily. Who can blame her? If I had been her I would never go back. And this Prince has been given a name that makes practical sense. Kit. A nickname at least, used by his father whenever the old and ailing monarch is in a particularly good mood. Madden makes a likable presence on the screen and his chemistry with James is sensual yet innocent. This is Disney after all. It's not gratuitously sexed up. Nor does it need to be in order to work its magic on us.

The rest of the cast is all in fine working order. Haley Atwell, who looks nothing like Agent Carter in this, and Ben Chaplin are around just long enough to make an impression as Ella's loving parents. Holliday Grainger and Sophie McShera are suitably obnoxious and play up the talentless stupidity of Ella's stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizella respectively. Derek Jacobi appears briefly, but memorably, as Kit's ailing father, the king of the land. Nonso Anozie as Kit's loyal Captain of the Guard is an imposing figure from a physical perspective, but shows a tender heart underneath. A true gentle giant. And finally, Stellan Skarsgard plays the Grand Duke who, while a bumbling yet likable little part in the animated film, is now rendered a bit of a conniving political schemer who has taken it upon himself to already promise Kit in marriage to a foreign Princess "for the good of the kingdom." All of these roles are various degrees of small, but they serve their various purposes well and are all performed admirably by a choice and game cast of character actors.

Cinderella is without a doubt the very model to which all future live action "re-imaginings" of classic Disney features will be measured and judged. And it deserves to be so. Kenneth Branagh and the creative team under him have done a remarkable job and in so doing have created what is surely a new classic in the offing. This Cinderella deserves to stand the test of time and come out on top for everything it gets right that so many other Disney remakes get wrong. I like Maleficent. I like Alice In Wonderland, though admittedly my stance on that one has cooled quite a bit. But Cinderella is a new breed. Rather than fracture this fairy tale and tear it apart Branagh and Weitz have opted to take the far trickier path and take the old story and deepen it in well chosen areas while still adhering to the already well established framework. Their efforts have paid off handsomely and I definitely plan to see this one again, and possibly again, and then possibly again, and then finally own it on Blu where it will no doubt sparkle with all of the exquisite beauty of one of Ella's glass slippers, but even more importantly, with the inner beauty and grace of one of Disney's classic heroines that has been given a brand new lease on a far deeper and more meaningful life for a whole new generation to fall in love with. Congratulations Kenneth Branagh, Chris Weitz, Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden, Helena Bonham Carter, Haris Zambarloukos, Dante Ferretti, Sandy Powell, and Patrick Doyle and all the rest of the cast and crew of Cinderella. You guys have made, in my humble opinion, not only the first truly great film of 2015, but a treasure that will no doubt be cherished by all who hold out hope for courage, kindness, and just a little bit of magic. Thank you all!

5/5

Review by Eric Spearman, aka spiderfan1985

2015

[MEB]

Originally Posted by spiderfan1985

Cinderella

[Show spoiler]Director: Kenneth Branagh
Screenwriter: Chris Weitz
Cinematographer: Haris Zambarloukos
Production Designer: Dante Ferretti
Costume Designer: Sandy Powell
Music by: Patrick Doyle
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden, and Helena Bonham Carter
Supporting Cast: Derek Jacobi, Nonso Anozie, Haley Atwell, Ben Chaplin, Stellan Skarsgard, Holliday Grainger, and Sophie McShera



Fair Ladies and distinguished Gentleman. It has happened. The code for fairy tale greatness, of the Disney variety, has indeed been cracked. Kenneth Branagh's sumptuous and emotional retelling of a Disney animated staple is a soaring triumph of magical proportions. The story, I am quite certain, you already know. A young girl named Ella lived a happy life in a pleasant country hamlet of a tiny kingdom with her exceptionally loving and devoted mother and father. When her mother dies of an unspecified illness her father later remarries a widower by the name of Lady Tremaine, who comes with two daughters of her own as well as a devious house cat named Lucifer. After her father dies on a business trip Ella is left under the auspices of a stepmother who will stop at nothing to break Ella's kind and gently courageous spirit by driving her into the ground with hard labor and a steady diet of cruel emotional and psychological abuse. Ella meets a Prince one day in the woods and is unaware of his royal heritage. From there you definitely know how the tale plays out, but under the shrewd guidance of screenwriter Chris Weitz, yes he of The Twilight Saga: New Moon and Golden Compass fame (or infamy if you so choose), and Kenneth Branagh, Marvel's Thor and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, this well worn fairy story soars to heights of emotional catharsis never before known.

You go into Cinderella already knowing the ending, but in the eyes of Branagh and Weitz it's the journey to that ending that really counts. And what a ravishingly sumptuous journey it is. Cinderella is gorgeous. A visual feast for the eyes' delight courtesy of Branagh's keen eye as a director, Haris Zambarloukos' exquisite cinematography, Sandy Powell's magnificent costume design, Dante Ferretti's opulently royal production design, and Patrick Doyle's airy and non-intrusive score, that also packs an emotional wallop thanks to finely tuned character work from a top flight cast that is headlined by Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden, and Helena Bonham Carter in an indeed very small but crucial role.

Cate Blanchett's Lady Tremaine is every bit as frighteningly malicious, if not more so, than the Frank Thomas animated version voiced by Eleanor Audley. Actually, this version is scarier and even more malicious in her endeavors to beat the living spirit out of Ella. She's given a backstory that explains some things, but it is never used as an excuse (thank you Chris and Kenneth) to let her off the hook for her hideous treatment of the girl she is supposed to be a mother figure for. Lily James is simply radiant as Ella. In a move taken straight from the original source the name Cinderella has been restored to its original status, not as a lovely name for a beautiful young woman, but instead a mean spirited put down of a nickname stuck to Ella by her obnoxiously spoiled and dumb stepsisters that Lady Tremaine takes and turns into a psycho-emotional cannonball fired straight at Ella's sense of worth as a human being. The cruelty Ella faces in this movie is not tiptoed around. Branagh lets his camera stare it right in the face, forcing his now captive audience to suffer along with the determined heroine. Lily James' Ella is such a warm and loving presence that it is truly difficult to watch her slowly be stripped of nearly everything that makes her so, to the point that when Helena Bonham Carter's lovably dotty Fairy Godmother does show up, she is at the edge of falling into an abyss of total and utter despair. But this, because Branagh and Weitz know what they are doing, makes the emotionally cathartic payoff of the famous magical transformation and ensuing ball all the sweeter to savor. Ella in that fragilely gorgeous blue gown is a vision truly worth seeing. This whole section of the movie soars high on the wings of pure giddy elation. Ella's joy is our joy. Her tears are our tears. I was tearing and had a smile on my face throughout this entire stretch of the movie. Bonham Carter's Godmother is, as mentioned, a very small part indeed, but her warmth and genuine care for the young woman she has taken into her charge shine through and make the scene count in a big way.

And what of that Prince Charming? Well, I am happy to report that once again Weitz and Branagh along with a finely chosen Richard Madden have dodged that old bullet that always used to hit the animated classics of yore square in the nether regions. That being the general uselessness of those Princes that, for any number of reasons (a lot of them technical but some…), were always turned into nameless and soulless cyphers with all the personality of a burnt out tree stump. "Oh, he's a charming guy because his name is Charming." Yeah, that always works. Madden's Prince is not named Charming, thankfully, and is therefore allowed to prove himself to be charming by showing us a generously warm personality that lights up like the 4th of July, oh yes there are both figurative and literal fireworks in this movie, when he meets Ella in the woods one day when she has a mini-breakdown of sorts and runs away from her stepfamily. Who can blame her? If I had been her I would never go back. And he has been given a name. Kit. A nickname at least, used by his father whenever the old and ailing monarch is in a particularly good mood. Madden makes a likable presence on the screen and his chemistry with James is sensual yet innocent. This is Disney after all. It's not gratuitously sexed up. Nor does it need to be in order to work its magic on us.

The rest of the cast is all in fine working order. Haley Atwell, who looks nothing like Agent Carter in this, and Ben Chaplin are around just long enough to make an impression as Ella's loving parents. Holliday Grainger and Sophie McShera are suitably obnoxious and play up the talentless stupidity of Ella's stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizella respectively. Derek Jacobi appears briefly, but memorably, as Kit's ailing father, the king of the land. Nonso Anozie as Kit's loyal Captain of the Guard is an imposing figure from a physical perspective, but shows a tender heart underneath. A true gentle giant. And finally, Stellan Skarsgard plays the Grand Duke who, while a bumbling yet likable little part in the animated film, is now rendered a bit of a conniving political schemer who has taken it upon himself to already promise Kit in marriage to a foreign Princess "for the good of the kingdom." All of these roles are various degrees of small, but they serve their various purposes well and are all performed admirably by a choice and game cast of character actors.

Cinderella is without a doubt the very model to which all future live action "re-imaginings" of classic Disney features will be measured and judged. And it deserves to be so. Kenneth Branagh and the creative team under him have done a remarkable job and in so doing have created what is surely a new classic in the offing. This Cinderella deserves to stand the test of time and come out on top for everything it gets right that so many other Disney remakes get wrong. I like Maleficent. I liked Alice In Wonderland, though admittedly my stance on that one has cooled quite a bit. But Cinderella is a new breed. Rather than fracture this fairy tale and tear it apart Branagh and crew have opted to take the far trickier path and take the old story and deepen it in well chosen areas while still adhering to the already well established framework. Their efforts have paid off handsomely and I definitely plan to see this one again, and possibly again, and then possibly again, and then finally own it on Blu where it will know doubt sparkle with all of the exquisite beauty of one of Ella's glass slippers, but, even more importantly, with the inner beauty and grace of one of Disney's classic heroines that has been given a brand new lease on a far deeper and more meaningful life for a whole new generation to fall in love with. Congratulations Kenneth Branagh, Chris Weitz, Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden, Helena Bonham Carter, Haris Zambarloukos, Dante Ferretti, Sandy Powell, and Patrick Doyle and all the rest of the cast and crew of Cinderella. You guys have made, in my humble opinion, not only the first truly great film of 2015, but a treasure that will no doubt be cherished by all who hold out hope for courage, kindness, and just a little bit of magic. Thank you all!

5/5

Review by Eric Spearman, aka spiderfan1985

2015

Bravo, Eric, bravo!!

Mark

[spiderfan1985]

Originally Posted by MEB

Bravo, Eric, bravo!!

Mark

Thanks. Did I go a bit too long? Or did I spoil anything that might take away from someones enjoyment of the film? I just realized I didn't mention the mice. Jaque and Gus are in there and they are totally cute, but it is the human element that really makes this one work.

[MEB]

Originally Posted by spiderfan1985

Thanks. Did I go a bit too long? Or did I spoil anything that might take away from someones enjoyment of the film? I just realized I didn't mention the mice. Jaque and Gus are in there and they are totally cute, but it is the human element that really makes this one work.

Since the story is so well-known, the only thing elaborate reviews (or particularly enthusiastic reviews) risk is the chance of setting some people's expectations too high. Personally, I don't think it's possible with this film (go in with your expectations too high). But not everyone loves a well-told fairytale as much as others.

Easily, the best film of 2015 so far! If this doesn't get a few awards next year, something is either seriously wrong (or some of the movies released later this year end up being amazingly good).

Mark

[spiderfan1985]

Originally Posted by MEB

Since the story is so well-known, the only thing elaborate reviews (or particularly enthusiastic reviews) risk is the chance of setting some people's expectations too high. Personally, I don't think it's possible with this film (go in with your expectations too high). But not everyone loves a well-told fairytale as much as others.

Easily, the best film of 2015 so far! If this doesn't get a few awards next year, something is either seriously wrong (or some of the movies released later this year end up being amazingly good).

Mark

Thank you Mark. The production design is worthy of a nomination and possible win. Blanchett deserves a supporting actress nod for her work, but my money goes to Helena Bonham Carter for taking a 4 minute role and making it soar. In my opinion Lily James should win a statue for leading role. I like simple stories well told. Branagh and Weitz, as stated in my review and many others, deepened it in just the right areas so it has real emotional heft, but otherwise it sticks stringently to the classic tale right down to the ending. As I said, you go in already knowing how the story goes so Branagh and Weitz focus on the journey and make their mark there. I don't know if I could write reviews professionally. I would become known as another Pete Hammond probably. "Does this guy seriously like everything he sees?" I can see it now.

[spiderfan1985]

Originally Posted by MEB

I enjoyed 'Maleficent', but not enough to buy my own copy on Blu-ray and not remotely as much as I enjoyed 'Cinderella'.

This is a VERY broad generalization, but... I think the people that are "the cup is half empty" types will likely prefer 'Maleficent' and the people that are "the cup is half full" types will likely prefer 'Cinderella'.

I have few friends that are more pessimistic in nature and they tend to prefer darker, more foreboding tales. Me, I'm an eternal optimist and I vastly prefer the more upbeat and future-is-bright sort of tales.

Mark

I find myself swinging between both. I love Into the Woods, the other Disney movie from back in December that also featured a Cinderella story in the middle of it, and that movie definitely has a more downbeat ending that is still cathartic and meaningful. Not terribly downbeat, just a bit more realistic when it comes to the messiness of life. I can enjoy the darker tales and still enjoy the light ones as well. It depends a lot on personal mood swings too.

[Falaskan]

Originally Posted by MEB

This is a VERY broad generalization, but... I think the people that are "the cup is half empty" types will likely prefer 'Maleficent' and the people that are "the cup is half full" types will likely prefer 'Cinderella'.

I have few friends that are more pessimistic in nature and they tend to prefer darker, more foreboding tales. Me, I'm an eternal optimist and I vastly prefer the more upbeat and future-is-bright sort of tales.

I typically am more pessimistic I guess (I'd like to say realist), and find movies that try to be too optimistic in nature just come off as campy and nauseatingly unrealistic (think Snow White in the Once Upton A Time tv show). But this wasn't either. It was about a person determined to do good in light of some very depressing circumstances and abuse. I was impressed how

[Show spoiler]she forgave her stepmother, and half-expected her to give her some sort of position in the kingdom

.

Put simply, "This movie has more heart than most directors do in their pinky finger!"

[spiderfan1985]

Originally Posted by Falaskan

I typically am more pessimistic I guess (I'd like to say realist), and find movies that try to be too optimistic in nature just come off as campy and nauseatingly unrealistic (think Snow White in the Once Upton A Time tv show). But this wasn't either. It was about a person determined to do good in light of some very depressing circumstances and abuse. I was impressed how

[Show spoiler]she forgave her stepmother, and half-expected her to give her some sort of position in the kingdom

.

Put simply, "This movie has more heart than most directors do in their pinky finger!"

I liked that too.

[Show spoiler]I forgive you, but you gotta go. Tremaine has a chance at redemption, but not there. She has to seek her fortunes elsewhere. Along with the Grand Duke.

[Doctor Jack]

Just saw it. The first 30 minutes were an absolute snore but the rest was absolutely wonderful. I will watch it again in the future. The frozen short was cute as well.

[frogjunk65]

Absolutely loved it!!!

[Leonidas King]

Alright time to turn my man card in but this was absolutely wonderful.

I believe it was more satisfying than the animated in the overall presentation of the story. The animated one is obviously a classic but its just too focused on the mice rather than the title's character name.

Anyhow, a more hands on story of the title character, great set pieces/costume design, solid performances from all and very good special effects for the most part.

Easily a 4/5 from me.

I enjoyed it thoroughly with some nice grub. Burger, sweet potato fries and a Mango Mojito

[Show spoiler]

[jPod]

I'm just disappointment that they cut this scene from the movie...

[Show spoiler]After the spell is broken at the stroke of midnight, the Grand Duke approaches Cinderella who is still on the side of the road. She sees him approaching and quickly hides the glass slipper behind her back. He looks at her suspiciously and starts interrogating her about the "mystery princess". After telling the Grand Duke that she doesn't know anything, the Captain and the Royal Guards approach the scene. The Captain looks at Cinderella, trying to remember where he saw her before. After a few exchanges, the Captain and the Royal Guards leave, but the Grand Duke is still eying Cinderella suspiciously before he rides off.