Cinderella

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Cinderella's teaser trailer a year ago. "Has Disney completely gone out of their mind?" I thought to myself. Why on earth would they turn a predictable story into a life-action movie? Another one of Disney's money-making strategy?

I had to see it for myself how Disney did justice for one of my childhood cartoons. Truth to be told, I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the movie albeit its predictable plot. The screenwriters stayed loyal to the original cartoon plot but added in some subplot in a sensible manner. My only irk was that some characters seem to be killed instantaneously due to a similar cause - disease. Forgive my ignorance. Perhaps having a plague or an incurable illness is common in those days when medical treatment is nowhere advanced.

Plus point for skipping songs & not turning the movie into a Broadway-ish song & dance film ala High School Musical. I can live without those cheesiness. At least the plot made more sense & thankfully did not emphasise on the idea of love at first sight.

The blue dress was gorgeous but somehow didn't struck me as "this is the dress I want to wear on my wedding day" kind of dress. And the most pivotal moment when the fairy godmother made Cinderella a pair of glass slippers, I was left slightly deflated at the sight of it. For some reason, the shape didn't look quite right. The arch was made at a steep angle which probably didn't provide good comfort when worn. Nevertheless, the glass slippers seemed to have an upgrade - with butterfly embellishment so it still didn't look too bad.

Original glass slipper from the cartoon

Upgraded glass slipper from the movie

Somehow I felt amused to see most of the familiar faces among the casts who also appeared in popular TV series such as Game of Thrones & Downton Abbey. Richard Madden as the prince looks exceptionally charming as he did as Robb Stark. But I don't remember seeing him having eyes so blue that it looked rather artificial in this Cinderella movie. And a little creepy too.

Nevertheless, it was still an enjoyable watch to feed you hungry movie fans during a non-blockbuster period. The ballroom dance scene is definitely a sight not to be missed. If you want to relive your childhood memories of Cinderella but in a more matured approach, this is the movie for you.


Movie poster courtesy of MoviePosterDB.com