Movie Adaptation Review: Cinderella

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image source: here. edited by me.

MOVIE ADAPTATION of Cinderella
Adapted from Cinderella by Grimm Brothers

"Where there is kindness there is goodness, and where there is goodness there is magic."

I honestly did not plan on watching this movie, because when I watched the trailer some time ago I thought "Isn't this trailer literally the whole movie?". But then it was a national holiday on Saturday, March 21st, so me and my friends decided to go out and see this movie. The main reason, we wanted to see Frozen Fever, lol. I didn't expect much from this movie adaptation and will just enjoy it for fun. But in the end, I actually enjoyed it, a LOT. A little bit out of topic before I start on the review; Frozen Fever was really cute! It's a short clip before the Cinderella movie starts, and Elsa is having a cold when she's throwing a birthday party for Anna. And every time she sneeze, she produces these cute little snow babies :3 Anyways, here goes my review for the movie adaptation of Cinderella—probably the most popular princess of all-time. I assume there's nothing to spoil about this story, so I'll just talk about everything :)

"Have courage and be kind."

The movie begins by introducing Ella (played by Lily James), a girl who lives happily with her loving parents. Soon after, her mother fell ill and died—leaving only Ella and his father. For a long time, they spend time only with each other. But when Ella has finally grown up, her father told Ella about a Lady who's also a widow with two daughters: Drisella and Anastasia. The new addition in the family wasn't always pleasant; and it got worse when Ella's Father went on a trip overseas for work. Everything went downhill from that point onwards; Ella suddenly received the news of her father's death—leaving debt to the rest of the family. So they had to dismiss all the workers around the house. Her stepmother and step-sisters treated her like a maid; but Ella had promised her mother that she would have courage and be kind.

“Kindness is free. Love is free.”

When she was distressed by the situation, Ella ran to the woods and met the Prince (played by Richard Madden), whom Ella did not recognize. The Prince introduced himself as Kit; and he was mesmerized by Ella's kindness, but Ella did not give her name even after they part ways. The Prince is in need of a bride; and the castle will be holding a ball to find him the perfect Princess. However, the Prince wanted to meet Ella again, so he decided to invite all the people in the city to come. Of course, Ella's stepsisters are excited over the possibility of becoming a princess; while Ella is excited to meet again with Kit at the party. But her hopes are shattered when Ella's stepmother ruined her dress and forbid her to go to the party. When Ella was desperately sad, magic that comes out from kindness helped her out.

First of all, I'd like to talk about how beautiful the cinematography of this movie is. Since the very beginning, the scenery is straight out of a fairy-tale story. The colors are always very pleasing to the eyes, and I also think the special effects are nicely done. I never really read the original book, so I can't say what's the difference between the book and the movie. But there are some little details about the story that I just found out from the movie adaptation, such as the origin of the name Cinderella. I always thought her name had always been Cinderella, and not Ella. The scene when the evil-stepmother conspired with the grand duke and when she destroyed Cinderella's glass slipper is quite new to me. My favorite scene has got to be party; because the castle is perfect, the camera angles are great, and Cinderella shines in her blue dress. This scene looks very magical and it instantly brought me into the fairy-tale world.

Another thing that I felt was perfect is the casting. I love Lily James as Cinderella, she successfully portrayed Cinderella's kindhearted personality; she's very gentle but can also be courageous at certain times. I can see why the Prince easily fell in love with Cinderella's personality; that's why the love at first sight didn't seem so awkward. There's chemistry between the two after all. And I really have to applaud Cate Blanchett's performance as the evil stepmother in this movie because she's amazing. No doubt I hate the evil stepmother's character, and I think Cate Blanchett was able to portray that character even with just her presence. Which is amazing. Her eyes are sharp, her expressions are always on point, and the way she speaks definitely shows how evil her character is. And Prince Charming, Richard Madden, is charming indeed. No explanation needed ♥♥ I just found out that he also played as Robb Stark in the Game of Thrones TV series! I need to watch that soon so I can see him again :)))

 

In the end, I might've enjoyed this movie because I didn't expect much from it. But I have to admit the movie is visually pleasing, and the fairy-tale story is heartwarming—like a typical Disney movie. If you loved this movie as a child, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to enjoy this as well with no problem. It gives me a different experience seeing real people playing this fairy-tale story, because I'm used to the animation version. I am so happy I decided to watch this with my friends; I might want to re-watch it in the future—just to experience the beautiful sceneries (and Richard Madden) all over again :)))

“Just because it’s what is done doesn’t mean it’s what should be done”

  by.stefaniesugia♥ .