Cinderella (2021)
With many being introduced to the story from the classic 1950 Disney animated feature, the story of Cinderella has been a key story of many childhoods for the past 70-decades with multiple adaptations being seen on the big screen since. It was only a matter of time until another version of the story popped up with Kay Cannon being the directorial voice behind the most Gen Z version of the story yet. Telling the classic story with a cast including the likes of Camila Cabello, Billy Porter, Idina Menzel, Pierce Brosnan, Missy Elliott & James Corden; it felt clear what this rendition of Cinderella would end up being with every fear being realized within the final product.
Truly painful in nearly every sense, Cinderella has to be seen as a failure on nearly every level with one of the most obvious beings its role as a musical. Not just is the actual quality of singing within the film being inconsistent to put it nicely, the film confusingly becomes a jukebox musical with songs that were irrelevant years ago. For a film trying so desperately to catch on within the modern zeitgeist, the decision to include songs like Am I Wrong by Nico & Vinz is so out of touch to almost feel laughable. These song sequences are not just uninspired but also are simply boring to watch which is sad considering how much of the film's runtime is dedicated to these songs.
That runtime is also rather shocking at a whopping 113-minutes. While other versions of the story have increased the runtime from the animated's 74-minute runtime such as Kenneth Branagh's 2015 film which clocked in at 105-minutes, they often add something new to the plot that makes sense for the longer runtime. 2021's Cinderella does not add much, it takes place in slow motion with songs pointlessly extending the runtime more and more. Audiences will check their watch only to find themselves not even halfway through the film with the only true magic of the feature beings its ability to slow time.
While these issues might cause Cinderella to be a largely painful viewing experience, there are some small highlights that do exist within the film. One of which is the occasional joke which is rather strong not even due to the writing behind it but the delivery from
Camila Cabello. While the still young actor might not impress greatly in the larger moments of drama or emotion, she does seemingly have the ability to deliver genuinely funny dry lines of comedy that will catch audiences off guard and at least give some moments of brief joy.
The costumes from Ellen Mirojnick are also rather strong at points with strong displays of color. The production design from Paul Kirby is far from revolutionary but is also quite competent with these technical aspects of the film being the most consistent part of the film overall. On the contrary, the visual effects within the film are largely awkward with the mice especially looking shockingly bad for the modern state of visual effects. It truly feels like the film needed either a bit bigger of a budget or more conservative list of goals in order for the film to be made to a consistently strong level even on the technical side of things.
Cinderella is a film best to avoid. Largely painful and bland, even the highlights feel rather minor. The film looked terrible on paper and sadly is terrible in its execution not even being so bad it is fun. It is shocking that the film thought its ideas would lead to success but here we are.
Truly painful in nearly every sense, Cinderella has to be seen as a failure on nearly every level with one of the most obvious beings its role as a musical. Not just is the actual quality of singing within the film being inconsistent to put it nicely, the film confusingly becomes a jukebox musical with songs that were irrelevant years ago. For a film trying so desperately to catch on within the modern zeitgeist, the decision to include songs like Am I Wrong by Nico & Vinz is so out of touch to almost feel laughable. These song sequences are not just uninspired but also are simply boring to watch which is sad considering how much of the film's runtime is dedicated to these songs.
That runtime is also rather shocking at a whopping 113-minutes. While other versions of the story have increased the runtime from the animated's 74-minute runtime such as Kenneth Branagh's 2015 film which clocked in at 105-minutes, they often add something new to the plot that makes sense for the longer runtime. 2021's Cinderella does not add much, it takes place in slow motion with songs pointlessly extending the runtime more and more. Audiences will check their watch only to find themselves not even halfway through the film with the only true magic of the feature beings its ability to slow time.
While these issues might cause Cinderella to be a largely painful viewing experience, there are some small highlights that do exist within the film. One of which is the occasional joke which is rather strong not even due to the writing behind it but the delivery from
Camila Cabello. While the still young actor might not impress greatly in the larger moments of drama or emotion, she does seemingly have the ability to deliver genuinely funny dry lines of comedy that will catch audiences off guard and at least give some moments of brief joy.
The costumes from Ellen Mirojnick are also rather strong at points with strong displays of color. The production design from Paul Kirby is far from revolutionary but is also quite competent with these technical aspects of the film being the most consistent part of the film overall. On the contrary, the visual effects within the film are largely awkward with the mice especially looking shockingly bad for the modern state of visual effects. It truly feels like the film needed either a bit bigger of a budget or more conservative list of goals in order for the film to be made to a consistently strong level even on the technical side of things.
Cinderella is a film best to avoid. Largely painful and bland, even the highlights feel rather minor. The film looked terrible on paper and sadly is terrible in its execution not even being so bad it is fun. It is shocking that the film thought its ideas would lead to success but here we are.