Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Cinderella, an orphaned girl with an evil stepmother, has big dreams and with the help of her Fabulous Godmother, she perseveres to make them come true.
This jukebox musical reimagining of Cinderella prioritizes Ella's entrepreneurial ambitions over the classic romance, which gives it a slightly fresher angle (hence modest Novelty credit). However, the execution is broadly criticised: the plot is thin and episodic even by musical-fantasy standards, the acting is uneven with a mixed ensemble, the visual style is garish rather than genuinely cinematic, and the ending wraps up too neatly without real emotional payoff. The pop-song mashup concept is distinctive enough to avoid a low Novelty score, but the film fails to deliver on most other fronts.