Review Roundup: Kenneth Branagh's CINDERELLA Hits the Big Screen

Disney's new live action adaptation of the classic CINDERELLA opens in theaters nationwide today. The screenplay was written by Chris Weitz, who is best known for directing comedic films such as AMERICAN PIE and ABOUT A BOY. Kenneth Branagh directs.

The film follows the basic storyline of the original CINDERELLA, but with a few twists. Cinderella and THE PRINCE meet before the ball, and he tells her he is merely a palace worker named Kit. THE FAIRY godmother plays a much larger role in this version than the original tale, and keeps her identity a secret until Cinderella needs her most.

CINDERLLA stars LILY James, Richard Madden, Cate Blanchett, Sophie McShera, Holliday Grainger, and Helena Bonham Carter.

Let's see what the critics had to say!

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: She may not be a princess (yet!) and the story may have been told innumerable times, but there's gold in those glass slippers no matter how many miles they have on them.

Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair: It's just Cinderella, straightforward and squarely aimed at the little girls and boys in your life who have Frozen fever. And you know what? It works.

Rex Reed, New York Observer: It's all here, in a family flick enhanced by fabulous sets, elaborate costumes and boundless optimism. I could choke on it all, like a 24-hour binge of buttercream CAKE frosting. But let's be honest. There is no denying the fact that this is the best Cinderella of them all.

Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly: With a fairy tale as familiar as Cinderella, the trick in sprucing it up for a new generation is figuring out how to make something that smells distinctly of mothballs seem fresh again. Director Kenneth Branagh...has come up with a surprisingly obvious solution by judiciously sprinkling pixie dust where it will be noticed most: casting and costumes.

Chris Cabin, Slant Magazine: The film itself ultimately comes off like a highly efficient pageant of familiar but eye-catching wardrobes and magnificently nuanced interiors, with the plot boiling down concepts of identity, class, femininity, and fate into a stiff, oversimplified story of good versus evil.

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: As pure of heart as its heroine, "Cinderella" floats across the screen like a gossamer confection, full of elegant beauty and quiet grace.

Scott Mendelson, Forbes: Cinderella is one of my least favorite "first generation" Disney animated features, so it is with much surprise that I tell you that Director Kenneth Branagh and writer Chris Weitz's Cinderella is easily the best of Disney's "take an animated feature and make it into a live-action film" efforts thus far.

Hayden Pittman, ABC WFAA: The new "Cinderella" movie is hands down one of the best Disney films I've seen in a long time and does what this megastudio does best: Create a simple fairy tale that will enchant children and adults alike.

Matt Singer, Screen Crush: Most recent Disney movies look suspiciously at traditional fables and their values. This Cinderella wants viewers to believe in them with every fiber of their being. That sincere, big-hearted belief might not be trendy, but it's hard to resist.

William Bibbiani, CRAVE Online: ...(This) live-action retelling of Cinderella is faithful to the story and tone of the original, but goosed with just enough character development that it doesn't feel socially backward. If anything, it's really quite magical.