Director Kenneth Branagh
Staring Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden
Rated G
Score 4/6

A girl named Ella (Cinderella) has the purest heart living in a cruel world filled with evil stepsisters and an evil stepmother out to ruin Ella’s life. Ella comes one with her pure heart when she meets the prince and dances her way to a better life with glass shoes and a little help from her fairy godmother of course.

Okay, of the articles that I have noticed that have been written about this particular incarnation of the Cinderella tale, the filmmakers have been bringing girl power to the box office. That’s all nice but I’d like to point that this particular incarnation is following a path blazed seventeen years ago in 1998 by Andy Tennant with his movie Ever After: A Cinderella Story with Drew Barrymore in the role of ‘Cinderella’.
This was a pleasant enough movie to watch with a great message of courage and kindness, though admittedly I probably should have waited for this one to come out on DVD to avoid that inevitable awkward feeling I get whenever I go to the cinema to watch a family movie. Both Lily James and Richard Madden gave great performances (I’m going to have to make a note to watch more of their work) while Helena Bonham Carter’s turn as the fairy godmother made me think of the 1950’s animated version.
I really don’t want to say this about her but unfortunately Cate Blanchett really didn’t come across that much of an evil stepmother for my tastes, but then again I am 32.