Cinderella

It is not often that I see an interview with the director of a film and agree with everything he or she is saying about their movie. Just this morning, I was listening to Kenneth Brannah talk about how proud he is of Cinderella (deservedly so) Thinking back on the film, I attribute the majority of its success to his work. While the acting talent at his disposal is incredible; Lily James is great as the title character, and Cate Blanchett absolutely knocks it out of the park with her portrayal of the Wicked Stepmother; actors are directed by the film ’s director, and Kenneth Brannah brings a certain flair to the picture with his direction, as well as an attention to detail that makes every shot visually perfect. Although Disney’s recent live-action fairy tale adaptations have been hit-or-miss, Cinderella is, by far, the best one yet. It is because this movie is able to capture what the others failed to, and that is the ability to actually feel like a classic Disney movie. As an almost direct adaptation of the classic animated film, it proves that a movie does not need to tell the *untold story* in order to provide a compelling narrative. Cinderella is also a visually beautiful film, most of it being attributable to its spectacular sets and costumes proving that tons of CGI are not necessary to make a visually dazzling film. The negatives are few and far between, with one not even being a comment on the film itself. The audience in my showing was mostly female (who all applauded when the credits came up) Due to the nature of the story, it will be a lot harder for this film to appeal to males. This is a comment however, on the bias of the audience, not on the quality of the movie. I must also admit that I was taken out of the movie momentarily at the very beginning; this adaptation of Cinderella is as close as you can get to an animated film in the live action medium, and therefore the performances did feel cartoony at first. There is a sense of over-exaggeration to start out, but once the movie quickly pulls you in with its classic story and talented cast, you start to forget about any and all negatives.