© Disney
Rated PG
After a chance meeting in the woods with her kingdom’s handsome prince, Cinderella is determined to attend the royal ball despite the obstacles put in her way by her wicked stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and cruel stepsisters (Holliday Grainger and Sophie McShera). Certain signs bode ill for this remake of Disney’s classic cartoon: Start with the entire cast’s overly stylized elocution, and move on to actress Lily James who may as well be Robin Wright’s reincarnation from The Princess Bride. However, laying those complaints aside, this retelling benefits from Blanchett as Cinderella’s wicked stepmother, Helena Bonham Carter as the girl’s fey fairy godmother and director Kenneth Branagh’s vision of opulent sets to recreate the fairy tale locations. Apologies to little girls, asked yet again to believe that being sweet and kind guarantees a prince will rescue them.
