Ella Enchanted

 

 

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I read the book a couple of years ago and the movie totally lived up to the book.

This is one of my favourite movies and if you're a lover of music and romance you'll really like it it. Also, it's a creative rendition of the Cinderella story, and combines music, humour and serious subject matter in such a delightful way. There are a couple of mildly offensive comments near the beginning, but they are so subtle and fleeting you don't even notice them really anyway. Anne Hathaway is a great comedic actress as well as a good singer we find out, and handsome Hugh Dancy is charming as Prince Char. It's a touching and funny story with excellent acting, although it is slightly corny in places. There are some great romantic moments and the chemistry between the two leads is excellent.

After Ella is born she is given a gift by her eccentric Fairy Godmother Lucinda so that she will always be obedient. Although this is ok when she is child, when she grows up her "gift", which is really a curse, comes to the attention of people who use it for evil intent. This is a great story to teach idioms and figurative language to kids, as Ella takes so many of these literally leading to funny situations. Ella's mother dies and her father remarries a woman with you guessed it...two daughters.

All the girls in the kingdom are in love with Prince Char and even have a fan club. When he meets Ella and then saves her life, he doesn't know what to make of the fact that Ella is not as enamoured as the other girls. Instead she sees what is wrong with the kingdom and the Elfin Restrictions put in place by his evil uncle Edgar who has taken over the throne. She also feels that Char as the heir to the throne should do something about this unfairness. Despite her original distain for the prince, Ella slowly begins to fall in love with Prince Char. after they wind up on a trip together with Ella's elf friend, Slannen. Their love for each other is put to the ultimate challenge when King Edgar tries to assassinate Prince Char. Will Ella be able to conquer the curse and be together with Char?

I would have given this 5 stars, but as I am reviewing the blu-ray I had to take that into consideration as well. This is the only blu-ray I own that has no features of any kind. It doesn't even have a menu page so you can access the chapters easily. There aren't closed captions or subtitles either. As a teacher of the deaf I view this as discriminatory and it's also ironical that a release for a movie that is partly about providing equality to all creatures in the kingdom doesn't have these. On the other hand, the widescreen DVD release has lots of extra features, including deleted scenes, a feature about making the movie, and an alternate ending. Although HD is always great and that part of it is well done, I'm not sure if the quality is that much different from the DVD to make it worth your while. So I would suggest buying the DVD and skipping this substandard blu-ray that was "lazy" and a quick money maker. I feel there is no excuse for it when the features are already present in another format. However I'd definitely recommend this movie.

Ella Enchanted is a fun family film, but this unique and not so traditional fairy tale could have used some bonus material. Unfortunately, the blu-ray doesn't even have a menu - it just loads and plays. The visuals look good on blu-ray, and the audio is fine, but the disc itself is so bare bones that there isn't even a scene select menu or captioning. For fans, the blu-ray might be worth it, especially at a discounted price. (3 1/2 stars)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Super price, super fast shipping!
We're really impressed with not only the price but the speedy shipping. Have already purchased more products from this seller.

Published 17 months ago by Kerri

1.0 out of 5 stars Lacking the originality and charm of the book.
This movie has more in common with Shrek than it does with the novel it's supposedly adapted from. Though it has a promising cast, it falls into lazy parody and contrived plot... Read more

Published on Mar 11 2010 by Ian Young

5.0 out of 5 stars Get enchanted with this amazing movie
Amazing movie deserves 5 stars.

This charming (in all ways) movie leads you and whole your family in fairy world of ogres, elves, giants and fairy godmother's. Read more

Published on Aug 12 2007 by Lana

4.0 out of 5 stars Not your traditional fairytale :)
"Ella enchanted" is a fairytale with an interesting spin, that is likely to interest both children and those adults who haven't lost contact with the children inside them. Read more

Published on Jan 10 2007 by M. B. Alcat

5.0 out of 5 stars A delightful new twist on a well-known fairy tale
There's a reason that every year seems to bring at least one new adaptation of the Cinderella story - it is, indeed, an enchanting story that speaks to the heart. Read more

Published on Sep 10 2006 by Daniel Jolley

4.0 out of 5 stars A family film
This is a great family film. The whole family enjoys watching it. Ella is "enchanted" because she must always be obedient - to anyone - and this gets her into a great... Read more

Published on Oct 14 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars The best movie ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I loved ella enchanted it is about a girl who has to do everything she is command to do. It is very funny and anne hathaway is HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Published on July 12 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars Ella Enchanted: friend or foe?
I've loved the book ever since i read it 4 years ago. SO naturally, when i heard about the movie, i was excited. Read more

Published on July 10 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars Ella Enchanted
I had never read Ella Enchanted, and thought the movie was very cute, and suprisingly funny! In typical Cinderella fashion, Ella is forced to put up with her two, malicious step... Read more

Published on Jun 29 2004 by michiganfrog

2.0 out of 5 stars What do you get when you mix Cinderella with Shrek?
A mess. I have found out that this film was apparently based on a novel, I would recommend without reading it to stick with the novel. Read more

Published on Jun 21 2004 by Daniel A Moir

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