Review: "Cinderella's Revenge"
We've all heard the fairy tale for the entirety of our lives, but what if the events had taken a slightly darker turn after the ball?
As stated, I think we all know the story of Cinderella, at least the lead-up to the ball and all the fairy-tale-ness that goes with it. So I will skip ahead to the "new" stuff portrayed in the film...
Cinderella rushes from the ball and the prince so that she can make it home before the magic cast upon her by her fairy godmother wears off. As she reaches the cabin in the woods that she shares with her stepsisters and stepmother, a bucket of cold (what I assume is) water is dumped on her head from the window above. Her stepsisters, having figured out her ruse, beat her home in and are now taunting her with the "lashing" she will receive once her stepmother returns. When Katherine, her stepmother, does return, she is taken to the horse barn and whipped viciously until her wounds bleed. This is her reward for going to the ball and enjoying herself.
Having been on a roller coaster of a night between the highs of the ball and kissing the Prince to the lows of being beaten for leaving the house, Cinderella is understandably at her wits' end. She calls out for her fairy godmother to help her. Help her make them understand how they hurt her. When her fairy godmother shows up, she has a slightly different perspective and opportunity for Cinderella. She offers her the chance for revenge. Revenge for all the things they have made her do. Revenge for all the abuse. Revenge for, unbeknownst to her in that moment, the death of her father for being falsely accused of robbing the king.
Cinderella is reluctant at first to take on the task of revenge. Her fairy godmother once again offers her a gift. A mask that will make her more powerful and more courageous to take on the job of making everyone who has abused her pay. She accepts this mask and begins hunting and killing. The first on her list is the man who took the lash to her, but that is only the beginning.
From the very first second of this film, it was very clear that this was a movie created and directed towards teen girls. That's fine. I have zero problems with that, as everyone needs representation, especially in a genre that is almost exclusively about women being the maidens in distress. This is a power trip, and it works perfectly well. Natasha Henstridge (of Species and Ghosts of Mars fame) plays the fairy godmother, and literally NO ONE else in the cast do I recognize. For what it is, it's well written and acted; even the (almost total lack of) special effects are fine.
Honestly, I don't know what I expected from or wanted out of this movie, but it is fine. Nothing goes above and beyond. It's not a pain to watch. There were no scenes that made me laugh when I really shouldn't. Cinderella's Revenge is an incredibly middle-of-the-road, mediocre movie. One of those movies that I can't say anyone should seek out, but if it's on... sure. Why not.
Comments