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 Cinderella (2015) 

What grade would you give this film?
A 56%  56%  [ 5 ]
B 22%  22%  [ 2 ]
C 11%  11%  [ 1 ]
D 11%  11%  [ 1 ]
F 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Total votes : 9

 Cinderella (2015) 
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Post Cinderella (2015)
Cinderella (2015)

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Cinderella is a 2015 American romantic fantasy film directed by Kenneth Branagh, from a screenplay written by Chris Weitz. Produced by David Barron, Simon Kinberg and Allison Shearmur for Walt Disney Pictures, the story is inspired by the fairy tale Cinderella by Charles Perrault and is a live-action remake of Walt Disney's 1950 animated film of the same name. The film stars Cate Blanchett as Lady Tremaine (The Wicked Stepmother) with Lily James in the title role as Ella ("Cinderella"), Richard Madden as Prince Charming, Sophie McShera as Drizella, Holliday Grainger as Anastasia and Helena Bonham Carter as The Fairy Godmother.

The film is scheduled to be released on March 13, 2015. It had its world premiere on February 13, 2015, in the out of competition section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival.


Fri Feb 20, 2015 12:12 am
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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
This was really lovely. It doesn't deviate too much from the original Disney version, but the changes that are made in the script really do manage to give it a bit of a fresher, more contemporary feel and also allow the characters to feel less paper-thin than they do in the animated version. The movie is remarkably uncynical and sweepingly romantic - aided by out of this world production design and some top-notch performances. This movie should already be an awards frontrunner for the decadent and visually stunning costumes as well as the set design and lush cinematography. All of the performances are strong. Lily James is effortlessly charming as the lead and also shares a very believable chemistry with an equally good Richard Madden (who could elevate to teen idol status with this role and impressed me more here than in three seasons of HBO's "Game of Thrones.") I loved the first scene where the two of them met prior to the standout ball sequence, as well as the surprisingly moving scenes between Madden and his father (played by Derek Jacobi). Hayley Atwell is also strong in a small supporting role. The movie clearly belongs to a scene-stealing Cate Blanchett, who's having a blast playing the villain here - her entrance is amazing and she actually has a fantastic scene near the end of the film though that humanizes her a bit and makes you understand the character's motivations. Of the few issues I had with this movie, one was the halfhearted attempt at adding a second villain with Stellan Skarsgard that never really goes anywhere, and the stepsisters are fine but far from scene-stealers (I preferred Lucy Punch and Tammy Blanchard's portrayals in Into The Woods). Otherwise this is a first rate family film that offers something for all ages, and it's absolutely fantastic for a filmmaking perspective as well. Highly recommended. A-


Fri Feb 20, 2015 1:02 am
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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
Well filmed and directed, this version of Cinderella is entertaining, though offers very little that we haven't seen before. Lily James and Richard Madden are both serviceable but neither made much of an impression. Cate Blanchett is the obvious standout and I'm glad they didn't made her overly campy. Overall, it was entertaining.

B

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Thu Mar 12, 2015 11:24 pm
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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
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+

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Sat Mar 14, 2015 1:08 pm
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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
I enjoy the film Frozen, but I rather hated Frozen Fever. The song is completely bland. And I am disturbed by the fact those "adorable" junior snowmen are inherently bits of snot. ;)

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Sat Mar 14, 2015 1:27 pm
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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
Well... David summed the film up perfectly. This is Cinderella, at its safest and most conventional, take it or leave it. B-.

The Frozen Fever short didn't deliver. It's cute and everything, but also very uninspired. Hopefully they wait awhile on the Frozen sequel itself, before jumping in with an attempt resembling anything from this short.

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Sat Mar 14, 2015 5:13 pm
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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
So lovely and graceful and effervescent! This is just as good as the '98 film Ever After with Drew Barrymore, if not moreso. It is what it is: a cynicism-free fairy tale that mimics the animated original. Lily James is a beguiling presence and Cate Blanchett devours the wicked stepmother role with relish. Blessed by sumptuous production values and a sure handed approach from Kenneth Branagh, this is Disney doing what they do best. A-


Sat Mar 14, 2015 7:25 pm
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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
It has been quite awhile since I've last seen it but I greatly prefer Ever After.

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Sat Mar 14, 2015 11:49 pm
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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
I liked it a lot, didn't quite love it. I think the best change made in this version is the "development" between Cinderella and Kit. I think there should've been one more scene before the ball of them meeting again though. I think Blanchett's praise is a little overrated in this as the role isn't quite as meaty as people are saying but she definitely does the best she can. Lily James brings a down-to-earth quality to Cinderella that makes her really likable, good performance. Helena Bonham Carter felt out of place but the whole transformation sequence is the best in the film, stunning.


Sun Mar 15, 2015 3:39 am
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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
Easily the most well acted and beautiful Cinderella film. There was no over-acting, outside of the step-sisters, but even then they weren't overly out there. Everything was made with a believable angle. It was quite lovely and enjoyable. Teetering on an A-/B+. Probably the A-

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Mon Mar 16, 2015 10:10 am
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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
Also, I believe they made it a little less "damsel in distress" than I believe the original was. Which seems like the route Disney is going. Bravo.

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Mon Mar 16, 2015 10:11 am
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Cinderella

Generic Disney fairy tale devoid of wonder but filled to the brim with TV actors. No wonder it cost so little. There was no James Franco, Mila Kunis, Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, or Anne Hathaway to inflate the costs. Just Helena Bonham Carter and Cate Blanchett, and let's face it, they're hardly expensive. They're also hardly draws, and Cinderella is seriously lacking a major name. There isn't anything particularly special about Cinderella. Nothing particularly good, or interesting, or enjoyable; it's just a total girls film. Girls that have little expectations, too. It's hard to hate a Disney film, so there won't be any F's flying around for this, but Cinderella is very hard to love, too. Ok, so what are the highlights? The occasional cleavage glimpse, Rob Brydon's blink-and-you'll-miss-it painter scene, perhaps Blanchett's performance (although I feel she should have been much nastier), the black royal guard, and that's it. The rest is just forgettable.

D+

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Sat Mar 21, 2015 7:48 am
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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
shocking

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Sat Mar 21, 2015 11:03 am
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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
This was an anticipated film of mine, and it was a bit disappointing. After Maleficent, I really hoped this would take some sort of liberty with the material, but it doesn't, and ends up feeling like a sort of hollow shell of the original. That doesn't mean it wasn't a delight to watch. I did like they gave the Stepmother more to do and more depth; she really wasn't in the animated film that much. The Prince was very flat; which is a shame coming from the actor who played Robb Stark.
I enjoyed it, but it could have been so much more.

B


Mon Sep 28, 2015 6:58 pm
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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
I just watched it and loved it. I've actually never seen the animated version. Cinderella is perfectly cast, and Robb Stark is very likable as the prince. I was entertained, and it had a depth of emotion I wasn't expecting. I have nothing here to complain about. A

I'm actually kind of surprised this didn't do better than 201M domestically. Seems like it would be a crowd-pleaser to me.


Sat Oct 24, 2015 10:17 pm
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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
I enjoyed it heartily. It's nothing earth-shattering, but it's a thoroughly entertaining and enchanting film that manages an old-fashioned-but-palpable charm under Kenneth Branagh's direction. It's far more down-to-earth than any of Disney's other live action "re-imaginings" of its classic animated properties, and it's all the better for it.

B+

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Sun Oct 25, 2015 12:00 am
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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
This is just a real comedown from Maleficent, IMO. Miles better than Oz and Alice, anyway.


Sun Oct 25, 2015 12:48 pm
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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
Webslinger wrote:
I enjoyed it heartily. It's nothing earth-shattering, but it's a thoroughly entertaining and enchanting film that manages an old-fashioned-but-palpable charm under Kenneth Branagh's direction. It's far more down-to-earth than any of Disney's other live action "re-imaginings" of its classic animated properties, and it's all the better for it.

B+

Yeah I'm just going to quote this review to reflect my own. A very enjoyable, lovely, B+

Far and away better than any other modern 're-telling' of classic tales (Oz, Maleficent, Snow White & the Blah Blah)

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Sun Oct 25, 2015 9:20 pm
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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
Out of all the Disney remakes I have watched so far this is the one I enjoyed the most. I don't know maybe its because I went in expecting so little and I do really enjoy the 1950's version, but this was different enough IMO to stand out from the rest of the remakes, especially some of the most recent ones like The Lion King and that was refreshing to see.

Lily James was perfectly casted in this as Cinderella and is just a delight to watch. She looked absolutely stunning in this the entire time as well and I even really liked Richard Madden as the prince. Cate Blanchett was really good too as the evil Stepmother and does just the right amount of scenery chewing. I probably could have done without the Helena Bonham Carter bits though even though I know The Fairy God Mother character is pretty important to the story overall, but the CGI in those scenes just didn't look all that great and her being in that role just felt super forced IMO.

B


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Post Re: Cinderella (2015)
Lily James is perfectly cast in this and she carries this movie with ease. Cate Blanchett is equally great in this as well and almost steals the show whenever her character is on ropes with James'. All the supporting cast is good but no one stands out including Madden who does not bring much to his character (rather looked nervous at times as prince), Helena Bonham Carter isn't given much to do. The CGI hasn't aged well (already). The movie easily flies past its time and the backdrop of Cinderella's story is handled really well. I have to say out of all the Disney live action remakes this stands out as the best thus far.

A-


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