In recent years, Disney has gone through the huge
vaults of classic characters for cinematic remakes of old favorites. Now when
thinking of possible villains that could be redone into antiheroes, the last
villain on the list would be Cruella De Vil, who after all was completely open
about her motives to murder 101 dalmatians. Sean Mulvihill said in his review, “Well,
Disney overlooked the objections of ASPCA and has moved forward with Cruella,
the origin story of Cruella De Vil starring Emma Stone and directed by Craig
Gillespie. Cruella is weird movie. I’m just not sure who the intended audience
for this movie is, but I know that I’m not a part of it. As hard as Cruella
tries to be something different, it can’t escape the fact that it’s a
cookie-cutter corporate product. Finally, they’ve made a family movie for moms
who shopped at Hot Topic in their teens.”
The film takes place in London during the ‘70s, and it
starts with a flashback at the life of young Estella (Tipper Seifert-Cleveland)
with her two-tone hair as she and her mother (Emily Beecham) make their move to
London. However, a terrible accident happens and Estella’s mother is murdered,
and she blames herself for her mother’s death. The child continues to London
where she befriends two orphaned thieves (Ziggy Gardner and Joseph MacDonald).
Years later, Estella (Stone) along with Jasper (Joel Fry) and Horace (Paul
Walter Hauser) are continuously doing well-planned thefts so they can make a
living. However, Estella is getting bored of her simple life of crime and has
bigger dreams in the world of fashion. She soon gets a job for London’s
reigning champion of fashion The Baroness, played by Emma Thompson.
Mulvihill noted, “At first Estella is intoxicated by
the world of haute couture, but the buzz fades as she’s subjected to the casual
cruelty of the Baroness. Estella begins working to undermine her boss by
appearing at her fashion galas as her newly created persona, Cruella. With a
punk-infused aesthetic, Cruella takes over the fashion world with her flashy
entrances that dominate the headlines and infuriate the Baroness.” Suddenly,
this becomes a complete fight for control of the fashion business, with dark
family secrets hiding beneath everything.
Mulvihill admitted, “While I never connected to the
story or characters of Cruella, it should be stated that this film is often a
marvel to look at. From top to bottom, Cruella features top notch work from
costume and design departments. While there are some aspects to the film that
are unconvincing, the fashionable elements of Cruella features the glitz and
glamour of the fashion world, as well as its main character’s devious twist on
the stale classics.”
However, the biggest problem with “Cruella” is it just
doesn’t have a nice flow, and that’s made worse by the film’s runtime. It’s not
hard to see why so many parts of “Cruella” feel incoherent when the film has
five credited screenwriters, and director Craig Gillespie is more focused on the
film’s style than making the film focused. Sometimes Gillespie’s focus on style
pays off in a really beautiful shot. Mulvihill said, “Sometimes Gillespie’s
focus on style pays off in a truly gorgeous shot. Other times, Gillespie’s
style becomes a hinderance, swirling around capturing tons of computer
generated opulence that doesn’t add a thing to the story. And its genuinely
astounding just how seriously Gillespie takes this material. The film just
can’t balance its lighter moments with its more serious tone, and it leaves the
viewer with a bit of tonal whiplash as the film vacillates between levity and
tragedy.”
As much as “Cruella” is a movie that has a lot of
flaws, there are no flaws with the film’s great cast. Emma Stone gives everything
she has for this version of Cruella, rejoicing in the character’s contrast. As
the despicable Baroness, you know what you’re getting out of the two-time
Academy Award winner Emma Thompson, who excels as the cruel villain. As Cruella’s
partners in thievery, Joel Fry and especially Paul Walter Hauser steal every
scene they’re in. For a family film that is rather serious and light on laughs,
any scene where Paul Walter Hauser show up to persuade a laugh is welcome.
Like a lot of these live action Disney remakes, “Cruella”
is a real mixed bag. It’s a nice film to look at that just can’t hit you on an
emotional or intellectual way. Mulvihill ended his review by admitting, “At
times Cruella can be a really weird movie – I didn’t expect to ever hear The
Stooges’ “I Wanna be Your Dog” in a Disney movie, especially in a movie about a
would-be dog killer – but it’s never brazen enough to fully commit to its
crazier aspects. Cruella is glossy enough to catch your eye, but there’s
nothing under that sheen that sticks with you.”
I know I have stated this before, but the look of
London in this film is good, the cast is nice, the performance they give is
well done, and the soundtrack is nice, but some of the lines in this film comes
off as just cruel. Would someone really say the things The Baroness would say?
Also, the motive behind Cruella is just you saying, “Well, of course,” and when
the past is revealed, I went, “You really are going to go to that level?” Honestly,
this film doesn’t deserve for you to pay Disney+ the premier access fee. Just
wait a few months for it to be available for free and watch it there. Please note
that this isn’t one of the bad remakes, it’s just alright.
Thank you for joining in on my review tonight. Stay
tuned next month to see what I will review next.
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