Cinderella (2015)

Genres

Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Director

Kenneth Branagh

Country

USA

Cast

Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Helena Bonham Carter, Nonso Anozie, Stellan Skarsgard, Sophie McShera, Holliday Grainger, Derek Jacobi, Ben Chaplin, Hayley Atwell, Eloise Webb, Rob Brydon, Jana Perez, Alex Macqueen

Storyline

When her father (Ben Chaplin) passes away, Ella (Lily James) finds at the mercy of her cruel stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and her stepsisters (Sophie McShera and Holliday Grainger) and is forced to be a servant in her own house. But things are about to change after she meets a fascinating stranger.

Opinion

There aren't many sure things in life, but one thing I know for sure is that Disney will never, and I repeat never be able to make a charming live-action remake of their fairy tales classics as Cinderella ended up being another visually stunning film that unfortunately feels incomplete.

The story is basically the same as the original, pretty simple and predictable. Only this time around it is tremendously boring and it made me realise that the story isn't that interesting to begin with and that it should have never been made into a film in the first place.

However, there's a little improvement over the original. Although it's not a plot twist - I would have loved one -, there's a nice addition that allows to develop the relationship between Ella and the Prince and makes it more believable if compared to the original where they immediately fall in love. Not even a spell would work that fast. A, so the characters have a bit more of development and backstory that allow us to know them a bit better, especially the Prince.

Still, the film is pretty boring. And most of the characters aren't memorable at all. Especially all the animal sidekicks. And the uninspired performances don't help either. Cate Blanchett (basically the reason I watched this) is quite remarkable as the stepmother but she's enough to make this film great. 

Nor enough are the visuals. The costumes are stunning, so are the sets. And the special effects are equally good - the transformations both of the dress and pumpkin are very impressive - and yet I would have preferred more real sets to all those green screens. It takes away from the film. 

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Genres

Fantasy, Musical, Romance

Director

Bill Condon

Countries

USA, UK

Cast

Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nathan Mack, Hattie Morahan, Adrian Schiller, Gerard Horan, Haydn Gwynne, Michael Jibson, Ray Fearon, Sophie Reid, Rafaelle Cohen, Carla Nella, Jimmy Johnston, Dean Street, Alexis Loizon

Storyline

As punishment for his actions, a young prince (Dan Stevens) is transformed into a monstrous beast by a mysterious enchantress (Hattie Morahan), and the curse will be lifted only if he learns to love someone and earn their love. What may be his only opportunity arrives when he meets Belle (Emma Watson). 

Opinion

I've never been that big of a fan of Beauty and the Beast. I think I've seen the original Disney movie only once. That said, I was quite excited for this live-action version because the trailer looked amazing. I'm not quite sure Condon's film was able to live up to my expectations though.

Sure, visually it's very beautiful - CGI is great, so are the sets and costumes, although the Beast isn't very scary - but it lacks something, magic. That magic that should be able to make you feel like you're living the fairytale. A magic I was able to sense in the trailer only. This live-action is indeed dull and emotionless.

The storytelling is all over the place. Like I said above I was not very familiar with the story, and after watching this film, I'm still not. Some parts are dragged, some parts are incredibly rushed and they make the story unengaging and quite unappealing. It's even hard to understand how Belle falls in love with the Beast. It almost looks like the only reason is that he has a big library.

The characters are one-dimensional and underdeveloped but worst of all, they lack emotion and it's almost impossible to feel something for them. Except for Gaston. I think they got the character pretty right because, despite Luke Evan's face, I ended up hating him towards the end of the film. And I'm not even sure how to feel about Lefou. His homosexually is offensively used for comic relief only.

All of that being said, Beauty and the Beast still manages to be a decent musical. A bit entertaining and fun, the numbers and songs are probably the only enchanting thing about the film and they are properly delivered by the cast.

The Legend of Tarzan (2016)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Romance

Director

David Yates

Country

USA

Cast

Alexander Skarsgard, Margot Robbie, Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz, Rory J. Saper, Christian Stevens, Ella Purnell, Djimon Hounsou, Jim Broadbent, Casper Crump, Hadley Fraser, Genevieve O'Reilly, Yule Masiteng, Simon Russell Beale, Madeleine Worrall, William Wollen

Storyline

In the Nineteenth century, John Clayton (Alexander Skarsgard) aka Tarzan is married with Jane (Margot Robbie) and is fully adapted to the life in London. But then he is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a minim encampment.

Opinion

Disney's "Tarzan" was one of my favourite films as a kid. I loved everything about it, from the story to the beautiful soundtrack by Phil Collins, and especially Terk, Tarzan's friend. But more than anything, I liked the character, Tarzan. That's why I decided to watch "The Legend of Tarzan". I knew it would have been nothing like the cartoon, but I wasn't expecting it to be this bad.

This film is only another desperate and failed attempt of Hollywood to bring back to the screen a legend both of literature and cinema with the only purpose to make money, and, to do the trick, they used well known actors.

The biggest problem with "The Legend of Tarzan" is the writing. Even though the filmmakers decided to make some sort of sequel to the story we all know, the original plot is also quite incoherent, confusing and utterly predictable. And top it off, it also addresses slavery in such a lighthearted way it should be a crime.

Following the same disgraced path of the story is also the dialogue - I wasn't expecting it to be good though -, the romance between Tarzan and Jane - the bromance between Tarzan and George Washington Williams is stronger than that -, and the characters.

Especially the characters. As I mentioned before, I loved Tarzan. But it's impossible to love or even like this Tarzan because he's nothing more than a one-dimensional character that acts like an angsty teenager. Same goes with the villain. He doesn't act like an angsty teenager, but he is a very weak, stereotyped psychopath.

If all of that wasn't important, this film could have been nominated best film of the year because the action is actually quite good, the setting is beautiful, and the special effects are good. Also, Samuel L. Jackson - who is completely wasted in this film, just like the great Christoph Waltz - brings some humour to it and makes the experience a little bit more enjoyable.

At last, I have to say they couldn't have picked a worst actor to play Tarzan. He doesn't have anything to offer other than his abs. And his terrible performance which is even worst of the entire film.

The Jungle Book (2016)

Genres

Adventure, Fantasy

Director

Jon Favreau

Country

USA

Cast

Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Giancarlo Esposito, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Christopher Walken, Garry Shandling, Brighton Rose, Jon Favreau, Sam Raimi, Russell Peters, Madeleine Favreau, Sara Arrington

Storyline

The man-cub Mowgli (Neel Sethi) flees the jungle after a threat from the tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba). Guided by Bagheera the panther (Ben Kingsley) and the bear Baloo (Bill Murray), Mowgli embarks on a journey of self-discovery, though he also meets creatures who don't have his best interests at heart.

Opinion

I grew up watching Disney Classics, and the 1967 The Jungle Book was one of my favourites. I loved the film so much, I named my black cat Bagheera. Therefore you understand how much excited I was for this film that also features the voice of the talented Lupita Nyong'o - if you read my piece about her, you know how much I love her -, and I can't wait to tell you how good this film turned out.

Based on Kipling's novel The Jungle Book - and he deserves to be mentioned because unlike most British, instead of taking advantage of other populations, he came to know and appreciate them -, the film once again tells the story of Mowgli, an orphaned human boy raised by animals, and his journey of self-discovery.

Jon Favreau's approach is quite serious, and you can feel the weight of the situations as it is treated more seriously, which brings at something some people have complained about: the violence. The brutal law of the jungle is involved, and, unlike the cartoon version, it is portrayed in a very realistic manner, therefore it is not suitable for a younger audience. Right, because the videogames most kids play nowadays aren't violent at all. And anyway, the film is not that violent.

The screenplay, written by Justin Marks, features great dramatic dialogue, and moments that capture the true essence of the novel, and humour and some catchy songs that makes the film more family friendly.

And now the reason most people watched this film: the live-action/CGI. I haven't seen it in 3D because I wanted to watch it in original language, and you can't have both in my country, but the visuals effects were still stunning. Everything looks so real, it's hard to tell where the CGI ends and where the real world begins. It was astonishing.

The animals are all visually stunning, but what brings them to the next level is the voice cast. They all were perfectly cast. Especially Idris Elba as Shere Khan, as he truly captures the terrifying nature of the character. Bill Murray as Baloo and Ben Kingsley as Bagheera provide natural and fitting voices. Lupita Nyong'o unfortunately doesn't have a lot of screen time, but she does well as Raksha. However, Scarlett Johansson and Kaa and Christopher Walken as King Louie steal the show with their cameo.

In a nutshell, The Jungle Book is a different, but amazing remake of a classic.