Amazon Prime Video’s Cinderella may well be the most ridiculous movie of 2021. Released on September 3rd, the latest retelling of the classic fairy-tale has achieved an underwhelming critical score of 44%. While the audience score is higher, there are still many recurring criticisms popping up from critics and audiences alike.
Is this film strange? Perhaps. Is it astounding? Absolutely. A charismatic cast, with some newbies in the field among them, and a mind-blowing soundtrack, helps move the classic, arguably overdone, story in a modern direction. This movie retells the princesses’ historically patriarchal story from a new, somewhat fresher perspective.
Camilla Cabello rises to the occasion with her heart-warming voice as Cinderella, the reimagined independent, entrepreneurial character whose dream is to open her own fashion business. Along with her business ideas, the film follows her journey with love, which could be an obstacle as she focuses on growing as an individual, gaining self-confidence and taking her well-deserved place in the spotlight.
The audience saw more outstanding performances from Idina Menzel as the stepmother and Billy Porter as the fairy godparent. His undoubtedly remarkable acting evokes laughter just as much as the various animal sidekicks, which include James Corden, Romesh Ranganathan and James Acaster as human forms of Cinderella’s mice.
It’s the ridiculous nature of the adapted plot that keeps you glued to your screen, as your inner child begs you to keep watching. The honest humour used to poke fun at its characters and their circumstances adds to the narrative.
Cinderella is obviously aware that you’ve heard the same story several times before, both in the Disney animated series and live-action movies, so they decided to include a touch of unfamiliarity through the music. Famous pop-rock song covers like Queen’s “Somebody to Love”, Madonna’s “Material Girl”, and Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation” found their place in the soundtrack, and helped produce such high expectations worldwide for the film.
That said, while the film might be great for crafting catchy hit covers, it fell short in creating more memorable characters, genuinely impactful scenes, or a standout original musical.
As many new remakes of classic tales still feel tired and overdone, with women in pompous dresses and the same plots over and over again, it’s time for fresh perspectives and twists on the old tales, which the new Cinderella certainly gives us… with a varying degree of success.
3/5 stars.