Imagine going into a dark, crowded movie theatre and within five minutes of the movie starting, you completely forget how crowded and uncomfortable the theatre is. Instead, you are completely transported into the fantasy land of the 2015 remake of Cinderella.

Cinderella (2015) is directed by Kenneth Branagh and produced by Simon Kinberg, David Barron and Allison Shearmur. Cinematography is by the amazing Harris Zambarloukos. Principal characters in the movie include Lily James as Cinderella, Richard Madden as Prince Charming and Cate Blanchett as the Evil Stepmother, Lady Tremaine.

The movie opens with a flashback of Ella (which is what Cinderella goes by in the early stages of the movie) in her cottage with her seemingly perfect family. She lives on a gorgeous ranch with plenty of wild game, mice and majestic horses. Her mother passes away in the movie due to illness and this changed Ella’s life forever.

Ella’s father marries the evil stepmother soon after her mother passes. Since her father is often away due to work endeavors, Ella is forced to stay with her stepmother. Therefore, the stepmother has many opportunities to treat Ella in a very cruel manner, including forcing her to sleep in the dingy, dark attic, even though Ella lived in the house before her stepmother and her two daughters, Anastasia and Drisella.

One morning, Ella tries to escape from Lady Tremaine and sets out on her horse. Along her journey into the Forrest, Ella comes across the Prince. They have an immediate affection towards each other but soon trots out into their own ways, hoping they would see each other again in the future.

This movie was a mixture of happiness, sadness and a whole lot of fantasy. The new version of Cinderella was live-action, which means that no animation was involved. It was a stunning movie to look at just because of the majestic scenery and bright colors that stole the show away.

While the acting is not extremely fantastic, the scenery and costumes certainly made up for it. The costumes are medieval themed and very beautiful and lush to look at. James had a voluminous blue gown that complemented her pale complexion and blonde hair.

Overall, the acting is fair. While nothing fantastic, it is certainly far from awful. It is not a cheesy romance movie; instead, it is a refreshing remake of a classic movie.

Cinderella does not only provide an entertaining glimpse into a classic fairytale, but it also offers a popping look at some new Disney magic that is certainly not for just youngsters.

This movie is a combination of sparkle, life lessons and a hint of the classic Disney Magic.