Cinderella (2021) - Game Infinite Review (Non-Spoiler)
It is kind of hard to explain how much I usually loath the idea of a "musical". I usually find them odd, emersion breaking, and boring. I will also be honest when saying that I only really watched Cinderella because my girl wanted to see; I know she loves Cinderella; and because it is kind of a dry spell of new things to watch. It was something new to watch on Prime.
I went in with really low expectations. This was to be "just" a "Prime Movie" and typically streaming movies are in pretty low tier. It also isn't the big budget Cinderella film we got from Disney a few years ago. It is also marketed as a "modern retelling" which usually goes about as well the Hulk would be as a sculptor.
So I went into this streaming film, remake remake remake remake, not even Disney, musical...
...and I was blown away.
Gosh how many times have we watched this exact story before, and somehow, they managed to tell a new story with only a skeleton of the premise as a guide. I don't want to spoil plot points of the movie, but somehow the characters in this film are more real and relatable than ever before. They feel like real people who could be alive today. I must say that is incredibly difficult thing to do with the Cinderella story. the Cinderella story is the OPPOSITE of relatable. None of us a servants to evil step mothers locked in a basement, who have a magic fairy help us get a date with a Prince. So when they told us a story about a girl who has dreams of being a fashion designer, a business owner, who's work traps her in a the basement, she just seems like a real normal girl who could be alive today. We also finally get a Prince who actually has personality and depth. He is more than just his title, you understand why she might fall in love with him so fast.
The conflict with the step mother, the thing keeping Cinderella and the Prince apart, and other story elements are actually somehow just more modernized and real.
I will also say one thing that they absolutely nailed is the sound track. They use modern repurposed pop music to interweave into the story. It doesn't feel forced, but makes it feel modern. Even if you hate the idea of a musical, this is music you actually listen to. It feels like quality covers of favorite songs, pieced together to tell a contextual story. When I heard one of my favorite lesser known songs being re-used, something I would actually listen to, I knew this wasn't your typical musical. Every aspect of the film feels like a Cinderella "skin" of a modern story about following dreams and self discovery.
I will also say that the humor in the adaptation is the best to date, adding a quality layer to a potentially flat experience. With that humor however, leaves behind any notion that this is your childhood's Cinderella. There are many more adult jokes that make this not as family friendly as perhaps its Disney counter part.
