You would think that a new version of a Disney classic would have an upgrade or at the very least, a new spin on an already overdone story – think again.
The new Cinderella offers nothing new.
Alas, it’s simply a remake of the 1950s animated version, so much so that I felt I was time travelling back to that Disney era just to endure all of the female stereotypes all over again.
Cinderella (Lily James) is the typical damsel-in-stress who needs saving, despite there being glimpses of her strength. I think that moral of the story was to have courage, but this didn’t translate very well. Yes, she talks back to her stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and defies her by going to the ball with help from her fairy godmother, but all this does is facilitate her resignation to her fate rather than find a solution to her situation.
At one point she vows to protect the prince, Kit (Richard Madden) from her stepmother, but they are only words. She doesn’t develop as a character, but instead remains very naïve and non-relatable. She’s constantly amazed at the beauty of things and she lacks dimension. Now, I’d love some glass slippers, but I’m not going to wait to be awakened by a guy and fantasise about him until I get me a pair. She has an absentminded look whenever she’s not with the prince and seems to be trapped in her fantasies… not to mention the disturbing issue of her tiny waist. Maybe she’s busy thinking that she can’t breathe through her corset? Another symbol of how restraining and backwards Disney has taken this film regarding women and characters in general?
More time was focused on the visual effects and costumes than on the acting and characterisation. They were one-dimensional, stock portraits who barely passed as people. The acting was over the top; something that in my opinion belongs to the silent film era. There were heart-wrenching and relatable moments but they were fleeting and I didn’t feel for the characters…even the romance felt outdated and lacked believable chemistry. It was too artificial — this only exists in fairytales…OK, never mind on that one.
Cinderella wasn’t touched by seriousness (the music even was cheerful during supposedly sad scenes) and so much so that you would think that you were watching a parody on fairytales. The comedic lines fell short since they were cliché and out of place. There were no backstories or twists that made the new Cinderella stand out from the rest, and the producers struggled to balance traditionalism with modernity.
Helena Bonham Carter was underused and looked like she couldn’t wait to leave the set. Her fairy godmother was nothing more than a trope and only served as the magical decorator for a single scene. The woman and the character deserved more than that…It would’ve been interesting if she had intentions other than granting Cinderella’s wish to attend the ball.
Blanchett’s evil stepmother, however, was impressive. Still erring on the one-dimensional side, she did add some layers to her character and gave reasons to justify her personality, while showing a spark of humanity. But performance felt a little short-lived and her show of villainy never accumulated properly given that the climax of the film was…Well, the opposite of that – anticlimactic.
Continuing on with the positives, the costumes were spectacular, matching the flamboyant tone and anachronistic theme of the film, and was potentially the only enchanting aspect.
Honestly – don’t waste your time. I’d recommend Ever After starring Drew Barrymore, or even the over-the-top Brandy versio
Fashion Industry Broadcast’s rating: 4/10