灰姑娘

(The review is to be finished, and I'll continue writing when I have time.)

Camila Cabello as Cinderella

I quite like Cabello's portray of Cinderella as a strong-willed, funny and kind girl. She doesn't play victim when faced with difficulties, instead, she handle them with bravery and dignity. For example, when she tried to sell a dress to a well-dressed lady and got badly-treated, she didn't run off and cry, but made a joke of herself and continued to sell her dress. Anyone who's been rejected when chasing their dreams would know how hard it is to keep believing in oneself after constant failures. This spirit of Cinderella's is shown well in her song Am I Wrong:

So am I wrong for thinking that we could be something for real? Now am I wrong for trying to reach the things that I can't see?...Am I tripping for having a vision?...If you tell me I'm wrong, I'm wrong, I don't wanna be right, right.

And in Million To One:

Just can't afford to be wrong, even when I'm afraid. You are gonna know my name, you are gonna know my name. I can bearly sleep, because my heart is always racing, chasing, pacing around the room...

I think many people have heard of Cabello's song Señorita, which is in collaboration with Shawn Mendes. In both that song and this movie, Cabello shows chemistry and charm through her voice and acting. She seems a talented actress and it would be nice if she has more cinematic works in the future.

Music

I like several songs in this movie, and I find many of the lyrics relatable and inspirational, like the two songs I mentioned above. If they are going to make this into a Broadway show, I'd definitely be interested in seeing it.

I also love the performance of Idina Menzel, who is casted as the stepmother in this movie. Her voice is crisp and clear and forceful, as good as what I remember from Wicked and Frozen.

Critics

Admittedly, this movie is not perfect. For example, the storyline of the king and the queen has good intentions but can be a bit awkward at times. However, I do not think this re-making of Cinderalla deserves the current 4.1/10 rating at IMDB -- even the Disney's mediocre 2015 re-making of Cinderella got 6.3/10, and this Amazon version is in my opinion a breakthrough in so many ways.

I've read a couple of critical reviews on the media and I don't really agree with them. One CNN review acknowledges some merits of this movie, but concluded that the movie doesn't really work, without providing enough (or any) argument for why it doesn't work. A review on Slater compares Cinderella with the highly-rated Apple TV series Ted Lasso (which I also love), and commented that both Cinderalla and Ted use kindness as a coping strategy to deal with difficulties, but Cinderalla fails to show how this type of kindness is different from weakness. I don't quite agree with this criticism, and I think a girl who dares to escape an arranged marriage to chase her dream is anything but weak.

Royals

Prince Robert's complaint that no one cares what he wants sounds relatable considering the tragedies and current controversies surrounding the British royal family. Since one of the producers, James Corden, also did an interview with Prince Harry earlier this year, maybe this movie gets some inspiration from real-life events.

I also like how the queen speaks out about not being able to have her own voice, and being tired of just standing beside the king and smile. If a queen is to set a role model for modern women, then it would ideally be a woman who have her own opinions and character.

The royal family seems a strange existence in modern times. On one hand, it is a political institution that needs to maintain a good public image and reputation; on the other hand, it is a real family, and some of its members may not always want to be involved in the political side of the family business. In reality, this dilemma would be much harder to sort out than in the movie.

The DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) Efforts

This movie is an ambitious attempt to incoporate DEI in an approachable and fun way.

color-blind casting

funny and light-heartedness

defying stereotypes

A few things I like: Perfect; Gwan; adaption of step-mother and step-sister;