{"id":2245280,"date":"2026-11-08T23:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-08T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-11-08T23:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T20:30:00","slug":"steps-review-cinderellas-story-with-a-goth-girl-twist-plus-a-hot-troll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2245280","title":{"rendered":"‘Steps’ review: Cinderella’s story with a goth girl twist (plus, a hot troll!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Home<\/a>><\/span>Entertainment<\/a>><\/span>Movies<\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

‘Steps’ review: Cinderella’s story with a goth girl twist (plus, a hot troll!)<\/h1>\n
Ali Wong, Amanda Seyfried, Stephanie Hsu, and Daniel Radcliffe lend their voices to this weirdo adventure.<\/div>\n
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\n \u00a0By\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kristy Puchko<\/a><\/p>\n
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\"Mashable<\/p>\n
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Kristy Puchko<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n Kristy Puchko is the Entertainment Editor at Mashable. Based in New York City, she’s an established film critic and entertainment reporter who has traveled the world on assignment, covered a variety of film festivals, co-hosted movie-focused podcasts, and interviewed a wide array of performers and filmmakers.\n <\/div>\n

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\"Ali<\/p>\n
Ali Wong and Amanda Seyfried lend their voices to Lilith and Cinderella in “Steps.”<\/span>Credit: Netflix<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In 2025, The Ugly Stepsister<\/em><\/a>was one of our favorite horror movies of the year<\/a>, reimagining the Cinderella princess tale as a critique of the extreme lengths girls are pressured to go to be beautiful. But if that sounds a bit intense for you (or your kiddos), Netflix has a less savage spin on this story. Steps<\/em> also imagines how this story of fairy godmothers and glass slippers played out for the maligned stepsisters. And honestly, it’s more charming than any of these princes. <\/p>\n

Aimed squarely at being family-friendly, Steps <\/em>leans on the Disney and DreamWorks movies that have come before to tell a story that feels familiar yet fresh. Like classic Disney princess stories, there’s a picture-perfect maiden in Cinderella, who is kind, cheerful, and talks to animals when she’s not singing to villagers. But like Shrek, Steps <\/em>opens with a classic storybook hinting at the familiar fairy tale, then has a snarky protagonist step into frame who’s tired of being misrepresented. <\/p>\n

In this case, it’s no ogre but a so-called “Evil Stepsister.” And sure, Lilith (voiced by Ali Wong) is kind of mean to the orphaned Cinderella. She did technically <\/em>order her to clean the fireplace. And she scorned Cinderella\u2019s animal friends. Plus, she tore up the dress that Cinderella had planned to wear to the prince’s ball. But in context<\/em>, these actions come off way less evil and way more teen angst. This is not a princess tale, but a story about misfits, alt fashion, sisterhood, and assimilation. And it’s a joyously entertaining ride to boot! <\/p>\n

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Steps <\/em>offers a parable about being true to yourself. <\/h2>\n
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\"Lilith<\/div>\n
Lilith and Margot go to the ball in their self-designed dresses in “Steps.”<\/span>Credit: Netflix<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Lilith objects to being dubbed the evil stepsister and sets out to tell the story of Cinderella from her perspective. Sure, you might know about her bad behavior, the magic, the romance, the search for the girl who fits the lost slipper. But Lilith’s name on its own suggests she’s more complicated than her reputation allows. Lilith is a figure of folklore who has been alternately demonized and revered, depending on the storyteller. Here, she’s an accidental witch with a Gothic sense of fashion. But before all that, she was the new girl in town, in need of a friend. <\/p>\n

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Before she met Cinderella (Amanda Seyfried), Lilith and her younger sister Margot (Stephanie Hsu) traveled with their seamstress mother from town to town selling her wares \u2014\u00a0until love struck. Cinderella and her dad were welcoming to his new wife and stepdaughters. But others in this predominantly white kingdom sneered at the Asian seamstress and her daughters, who wore Eastern styles of dress and told stories of a slithering snake-woman. At Lilith’s first social event in this new setting, she’s harshly shunned by the resident mean girl, Priscilla (Nikki Glaser). And when the gaggle of villager girls follow suit, Cinderella \u2014\u00a0despite her noble reputation \u2014\u00a0does nothing to intervene. <\/p>\n

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Cue Olivia Rodrigo’s “Brutal,” because here comes a musical makeover montage, where Lilith follows in the Doc Martens-wearing footsteps of many ostracized girls before her. If you’ve ever quoted The Craft<\/em>‘s “We are the weirdos, mister” or told your mom sincerely, “It’s not <\/em>a phase,” you’ll feel seen here. While Lilith’s peers diligently copy Priscilla’s white bouffant hairdo and poofy pinky gowns, Lilith favors black and purple, from her DIY asymmetrical haircut to her homespun skirts adorned with embroidered skulls, to her big leather boots. If they’re going to stare, she’ll give them something to stare at! <\/p>\n

However, Lilith’s self-expression is a bit tangled up in her desire to distinguish herself from her seemingly perfect stepsister. Lilith’s jealousy sparks a rebellion that not only jeopardizes Cinderella’s happily-ever-after with the prince (Daniel Radcliffe) but also threatens the lives of Lilith and both her sisters. So, like it or not, Lilith and Cinderella must team up to rewrite their narrative together, before a rampaging Priscilla destroys everything. <\/p>\n

Steps <\/em>makes moves Disney would never. <\/h2>\n
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\"Lilith,<\/div>\n
Lilith, Margot, and Cinderella make a hasty getaway in “Steps.”<\/span>Credit: Netflix<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Early on, this Cinderella seems like a typical Disney princess, with her pretty bobblehead, agreeable nature, animal sidekicks, and ability to burst into a rousing song at a moment’s notice. But when the fairy godmother (Bette Midler) shows up, Lilith realizes her stepsister has had a magical guardian all along. <\/p>\n

Just like that, Steps <\/em>introduces a parable about privilege, as the godmother’s magic gave the white girl with a rich father advantages that her sisters were denied. Lilith is understandably seething over this revelation, but she’s not alone. When the spell is broken, Cinderella is confounded to learn about perspiration and body odor, and naively wanders into one dangerous scenario after another. Lucky for her, Lilith isn’t as evil as her reputation would have us believe. She’ll save the day whether she likes it or not. <\/p>\n

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