‘Cinderella’ Movie Review: What You Need to Know Before You Watch on Amazon Prime
The classic tale of Cinderella is getting yet another reboot, this time Amazon Studios. Without the need to pay a premium for this movie (assuming you already have Prime Video, if not, you can sign up for a 30 day free trial here) giving this movie a shot may be a no brainer. But if it’s your turn for movie night and you’re wondering if this movie is worth a pick for your whole family, this spoiler-free Cinderella movie review should help. Let’s get straight to it shall we?
‘Cinderella’ Movie Review
This is Cinderella with a modern twist, catchy songs and a somewhat predictable ending. The movie has a familiar DCOM vibe (Think Descendants or Pitch Perfect with a pinch of Hamilton here and there), perfect for tweens and teens. The endearing characters, laughs, and incredible costumes make it worth a watch with the whole family. Our 3-year-old even got in on it. And Ty, my sweet monster movie-loving child even said “this isn’t really a princess movie,” perhaps justifying the fact that he was enjoying it.
Ella (get it right) played by Camila Cabello, brought a fun new take to the character and girl has pipes! I loved Brandy’s version and adored seeing a Black princess as Cinderella. It’s great to see a Latina actress at the helm this time.
What We loved
There was a lot to love about this update. My 11-year-old daughter Jayda loves the songs, but she didn’t love me singing along. Yes, singing along! The songs were mostly renditions of pop songs we’ve loved through the years. I won’t spoil them for you, but I’m sure you’ll know at least one. Jayda and I both appreciated the original songs more, and will likely be skipping to them as we listen to the soundtrack.
Along with the new songs, the diversity, costumes and new characters are what make the movie special. Fabulous Godmother (Billy Porter) is easily my favorite character (wish we could have seen more!) And girl power was the common theme in this movie, which anyone who’s seen a trailer would have guessed. But it made an impact. To quote Jayda “it was cool to see Ella wanted her own business and didn’t need to wait around for a prince to save her.” Add in the fact that Ella is me in heels. The king and queen have their own squabbles that seem surprisingly normal. Plus the great memorable quotes, and it turned out to be an enjoyable adaptation.
What We Didn’t Like
Now for the downers. The movie is a bit predictable. I felt like I called the second half of the movie about 10 minutes in. There were a couple of innuendos that made me question the PG rating, and plenty of cheesy moments. And finally, Jayda just can’t get past the fact that Cinderella’s dress was not blue.
It wasn’t the big screen production I was expecting, but still enjoyable for a family movie night and I’d happily watch it again.
Are you going to give Cinderella a watch? Let us know what you thought! And if you want to give Prime video a try to watch, you can sign up and it for a 30 day free trial here.
Wondering how our movie taste compares you yours? Check out some of our other movie reviews:
Love watching movies as a family? Check this out:
I loved it. I really liked the surprise of hearing music I was familiar with used in a new and unexpected way. Enjoyed the humor and I can go with cheesy. I have two criticisms. First, so many young female pop singers have the habit of doing something to the ends of their words that turns the diction to mush. I find it distracting. Second, why didn’t Billy Porter comb her hair while he was giving her that fabulous dress? I thought the girl power storyline was great and would have enjoyed watching this with my girls.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it too! I didn’t notice the diction as a distraction but I’ll look for that next time we watch. And that’s so funny, I didn’t even think about her hair! I kinda like that she was wearing the awesome dress from her imagination and got the feeling she didn’t really care about her hair. She is so me with heels too! haha.
Thanks for your review, we are hoping to watch it soon! I kinda rolled my eyes at the idea of another live action Cinderella movie when my kids first put the trailer on, but then Billy Porter showed up and I was fully on board, lol.
Oh my goodness I’m so with you Tara! I had the exact same reaction. I came for Billy Porter and stayed for the music. haha. Let us know what you think!