Film: Cinderella Review

From Disney's 1950 animated masterpiece comes real life, yes real life Disney princesses plucked right out of Downton Abbey into a fairytale land - where Helena Bonham-Carter waves her magic wand and vicious stilettos stay on till midnight.

The casting is refreshing with the main characters still relatively unknown. Lily James, leaping from Downton to Disney, plays Cinderella and fits the part… like a glass slipper. Her dashing prince is played by Richard Madden: short, dark, handsome and full of issues - the ideal 21st century man.

Despite Cinderella's dramatic name change to 'Ella' and Rob Brydon, as a court painter, Branagh and screenwriter Chris Weitz stick tenaciously to Disney's 1950 animated version. They are even kind enough to cast the ugly step-sisters (Sophie McShera, Holliday Grainger) as not so much ugly, but bad mannered and with equally bad taste in clothes.

Cate Blanchett's wicked step-mother is terrifying. Like a fiery fashionista on the FROW, she's had a tough time getting to the top and has known nothing but debt and expensive clothes (the two can be mutually exclusive).

Helena Bonham-Carter brings the fun and fancy as the fairy godmother, donning a wardrobe-wand envied by every woman far and wide. Her cynicism brings a dose of wit and familiarity to the film and makes us wish she'd made it to our own christening.

And then there's the shoe… from Swarovski to Nicholas Kirkwood, Charlotte Olympia to Stuart Weitzman - they've all had a stab at the glass slipper (see below for more on where and when).

The costumes and graphics precede minimalist chic and satisfy that eternal longing for a puffy party dress and enormous house with turrets.

From Cate Blanchett's vicious cheekbones to Helena Bonham-Carter's naughty pout, this was pure modern, mythical indulgence and may qualify as our Sunday hangover film for years to come.

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