Amazon Prime released the newest version of Cinderella, featuring Camila Cabello, Idina Menzel, Minnie Driver, Pierce Brosnan and many more. It’s a musical film set with a mixture of period and modern times. Like other versions of Cinderella, she lives with her evil stepmother and two stepsisters, but there are new characters and twists added.
Cabello’s Cinderella dreams of creating dresses and opening her own shop, “Dresses by Ella”. As for her prince, he’s more outspoken and shows a lack of interest in the throne.
The royal family is further presented, with the addition of a new character, the princess. She displays her interest in politics and eagerness to be acknowledged. The evil-stepmother also shows a bit of empathy towards Cinderella and reveals her dream of being a pianist. From these instances, the film clearly presents empowerment of feminism.
The feminist view is particularly enjoyable, as the main focus isn’t on romance and how a girl needs to marry a prince to live happily ever after, but that Cinderella can have her own passions and dreams. This message gives inspiration to not only females, but to everyone to be courageous and speak their minds. Later in the film, Cinderella has to choose between her career and love life, which is relatable to many viewers as well.
Furthermore, the amazing costume wardrobe makes the film visually appealing to watch, as it focuses on Cinderella’s dress creations. From Cinderella’s commoner dress to the fabulous Godmother’s gown, there are various colors and fun outfits, specifically during the ballroom scene. Even the extras are given a beautiful sense of style.
As a musical, the rendition of songs is interesting and familiar to viewers. The music numbers are great to lookout for, however they also hurt the storyline.
Certain songs drag, while others aren’t necessary or essential to the storyline. This makes the course of the movie unnatural and the ending feeling rushed.
From the feminist views to the fashion and music, this version is visually entertaining to watch. Comparing to other Cinderellas, many new additions, twists, and messages are exemplified. Overall, it is an enjoyable take on the classic fairy tale with its own strengths and weaknesses.