Cruella Movie Review

Who would have thought that Disney's attempt at Joker would turn out to be one of their more original products. Though technically a pseudo-prequel to its animated predecessor, Cruella is nevertheless part of Disney's long line of live-action reinterpretations of classic animated films, some of which have been well received, and some not so much. Does Craig Gillespie's attempt at a fashion driven psychopath break the mold?

My Quick Thoughts on the Other Live Action Disney Remakes

There are two remakes that I have enjoyed up until this point, and oddly enough, they're the ones that arguably stick the closest to the originals; Kenneth Branagh's Cinderella and Jon Favreau's Lion King. The rest, for me, can't seem to decide whether they want to be the originals or if they want to be their own thing. Jungle Book, for instance, is sort of a remake of the animated film but also sort of an adaptation of the book.... Sort of. On top of that, though, some of them try less to stay true to what made the originals classics and instead turn them into whatever's popular at the time, like turning Sleeping Beauty into Wicked, turning Mulan into a superhero, or turning Beauty and the Beast into a young adult story, right down to getting the director of Twilight. Speaking of directors, though, some of them have solid ideas for reinterpretations, but choose entirely wrong directors. The idea of bringing Aladdin to the modern age Bollywood style is a great idea, but Guy Ritchie has no experience with children's films or musicals, and yet he's brought on to direct a children's musical. The idea of Hook, but with Winnie the Pooh characters is clever, but Marc Foster is.... Well, Marc Foster.

To sum it up:

-If you're going to be different, be different

-Don't give into the latest fad

-Pick suitable directors

I bring all of that up because, thankfully, Cruella does all three of those things and more.

The Story

The film follows a girl with a passion for fashion named Estella, played by Emma Stone, who lost her mother and started a life as a thief at a young age. Years later, her two partners hook her up with an opportunity that leads her to a well acclaimed fashion icon known as The Baroness, played by Emma Thompson. However, as more and more secrets get revealed about her, Estella decides she wants to ruin her reputation by upstaging her under the alias Cruella.

What Doesn't Work About It

The Opening is Rushed

This is the exact same issue I had with the remake of Aladdin. The opening hits a ton of bullet points and takes little to no time to breathe. I thought this would be another remake dud when it first started, but luckily, that pacing only lasts in that opening.

Side note: Yes, I do think it's silly that the black and white hair is Estella's natural hair.

The Narrative is a Tad Crowded

The focus of the film primarily is the rivalry between Cruella and Baroness, but that rivalry does ultimately have a lot to unpack. The film goes from a heist to a montage of Cruella's shows to this big twist that ends in this final battle.... If the film just picked one of those things to focus on, it could have been something great.

Other Bits:

-There are a ton of CG animals that might be distracting for lovers of real animals

-Emma Stone's narration feels forced

What's Good About It

Emma Stone and Emma Thompson are Superb

These two nail their roles. Emma Stone makes the transition from girl who thinks she's a fashion genius but still wants to make her mom proud to cold, detached, ravishing Cruella smoothly. Emma Thompson makes for her perfect rival as well as someone to challenge Estella as she makes the transition.

The Film Has the Best Direction of All the Remakes

The whole film feels like a passion project, not something cold or calculated like most of the other remakes, but something that someone wanted to put together. It has a great sense of visual storytelling and just oozes in style.

Other Bits:

-The music is suitably old fashioned

-The other performances are serviceable

Where Should You See It? In Theaters

It took me a little bit to think about it, because there's not too much that would necessitate seeing it on the big screen, but there's nothing that just screams Disney+ either. My tipping point, however, is that this is the kind of remake I want to see get a big budget. The cold, calculated remakes similar to Aladdin or Beauty and the Beast can head down the Disney+ toilet, but original visions like this deserve the big screen treatment.

Overall Thoughts

Cruella is one of the better live action reinterpretations of classic Disney films. It's an unabashedly original vision with outstanding direction and phenomenal performances from Emma Stone and Emma Thompson. It has some narrative shortcomings, sure, but not enough to throw it completely off course. Don't miss this one, folks!

My Rating: