Cinderella: DVD Review

If you had been expecting a take on Cinderella that involved dance numbers that melded Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation and Des'ree's You Gotta Be, as well as featuring a veritable Taskmaster reunion, then congratulations, because this Cinderella won't surprise you.

However, for absolutely everyone else, this exuberant, vibrantly costumed, self-effacing take on the Disney classic is an utterly joyous blast of cinema that's perfect for a lockdown tonic or the general malaise that has become 2021.

Singer Camilla Cabello is Cinders, our heroine who dreams of starting her own designer dress business and who's beaten down by wicked stepmother Vivian (John Travolta's favourite actress Idina Menzel).When she accidentally meets the foppish Prince Robert (Galitzine, looking like a grown up Simon from The Inbetweeners), there's an attraction between the two. 

But King Rowan (Brosnan, with a hybrid Welsh accent and a penchant for being mocked for his singing from Mamma Mia) is determined that Robert should find a bride, throwing a lavish ball and inviting all the women in the kingdom to it....

And you know the rest of the Cinderella story, because Kay Cannon's movie doesn't really majorly shift the goalposts of the expected narrative. 

However, what Cannon does do is throw some curveballs into the established tenets and moments of the story and make them her own for the 2021 version. (There are also some subtle parallels between Harry and Meghan's love story and subsequent royal stepdown.)

While Cabello and Galitzine don't really have the chemistry to sizzle as the couple, Cabello does well with this take on the Disney heroine that, as is the 21st century norm, imbues her with a bit more spunk and independence in its message of self-belief, girl power and independence.

The final 30 minutes of the film feels its weight a little, with the energy levels starting to sag before the Cabello-led dance finale that seems a little too close to a traditional music video to be a coincidence.

But given Billy Porter's energetic cameo as the Fab G (a non-binary take on the Fairy Godmother) and the film's penchant for throwing oneliners into the meta-mix, comments about climate change and other societal issues, Cinderella is actually a Disney live action film variant that's welcome and smart in its execution.

With its vibrant takes on Queen, Janet Jackson, Madonna, and the White Stripes to name but a few, Cinderella's music is perfectly pitched and superbly executed. Frequently surprising and cleverly integrated, the update gives the film its infectious edge and point of difference.

This fairytale is one for the whole family - Cinderella is a veritable treat of a movie that will lift spirits and leave you smiling unexpectedly.