Cinderella and The Voyeurs – Movie Reviews

Prime Videos’s Cinderella is one of those reimaginings that feels unnecessary from the very start. It’s dull, formulaic, and more often than not, awkward to sit through. While the movie struggles in almost every department, there are a couple of elements that prevent it from being a complete disaster. The performances, for instance, aren’t terrible. They don’t elevate the film by any means, but they aren’t unwatchable either.

Pierce Brosnan and Idina Menzel are the clear standouts here, bringing a little bit of energy and presence whenever they’re on screen. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Camila Cabello and Nicholas Galitzine, who play the leads. Their lack of chemistry makes their romance feel hollow, and their line delivery doesn’t do much to make the dialogue sound convincing. Of all the characters, Brosnan’s role ends up being the most entertaining, particularly when the film leans into his humor.

Where the film really falls apart is in its presentation. The musical numbers are oddly placed and feel more like interruptions than natural extensions of the story. Visually, it’s uninspired—the cinematography is flat and forgettable, giving the film no real style to speak of. The writing is another major issue. Most of the dialogue comes across as stiff and artificial, while the story itself is so generic that you can predict exactly how it will unfold within the first thirty minutes. Add to this an unnecessarily long runtime and sluggish pacing, and the movie becomes even harder to sit through.

Furthermore, then there’s the odd choice regarding its title. The film insists on calling its heroine “Ella” throughout, but still goes by Cinderella in promotion, which feels inconsistent at best. In the end, Cinderella (2021) offers very little worth remembering. It’s bland, overlong, and unimaginative, with only a couple of passable and entertaining performances to keep it from collapsing entirely.

‘Cinderella (2021)’ Rating – 1.5/5

The Voyeurs follows Pippa (Sydney Sweeney) and Thomas (Justice Smith), a young couple who move into a sleek Montreal apartment and soon become obsessed with watching the attractive neighbors across the street. What begins as harmless curiosity turns into something more dangerous, drawing the pair into a situation far beyond their control. With Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Ben Hardy rounding out the cast, the film aims to capture the glossy erotic-thriller vibe that’s had a resurgence in recent years.

As a piece of entertainment, The Voyeurs is easy enough to get through. The story is outrageous, sure, but it’s engaging enough to hold your attention until the end. Sydney Sweeney carries the film with ease, her on-screen presence, aura and glamour giving the movie much of its allure. The rest of the cast does fine, though they’re not working with much in terms of layered characters.

That said, if you look at the film critically, it quickly unravels. The plot is riddled with implausible twists, coincidences, and logic gaps that don’t hold up under scrutiny. It builds its world out of glossy apartments, steamy encounters, and a slick soundtrack, but beneath the polish is a story by Michael Mohan that doesn’t take itself seriously enough to be compelling or smart enough to surprise.

Still, judged purely as a piece of casual streaming content, The Voyeurs gets the job done. It’s stylish, risqué, and diverting enough for a relaxed evening watch, provided you’re not expecting depth or originality.

‘The Voyeurs (2021)’ Rating – 2/5