Cruella (2021)

Cruella (2021)

6/10

Starring

Emma Stone

Emma Thompson

Joel Fry

Paul Walter Hauser

 

Directed by Craig Gillespie

 

I swear, I already judged the casting of Emma Stone as Cruella in this live-action spin-off before even watching it. Now that I’ve seen her in the role, I have to admit she’s an amazing actor. Her portrayal of Cruella and the way she framed the character was magnificent to watch.

The movie is fun, and you’ll enjoy it, especially for the wonderful world-building. It’s visually dazzling, with a colorful screenplay and bursts of creativity. However, the movie is ultimately forgettable, and it’s way too long. The story is written in a Dickensian style, which makes it less predictable than I expected. Be prepared for some fantastic performances from Emma Stone and Emma Thompson, especially when their characters go head-to-head.

It’s obvious Disney is testing the limits of its fanbase. Cruella isn’t a bad attempt, and this crime comedy delivers an OK experience, but it leaves you questioning why the movie was made in the first place. It wasn’t necessary. They also made a strange decision to tie characters from One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) to Cruella’s past. For all the ingenuity and creativity the director and writers put into this film, that decision felt like a misstep. Giving Cruella a clean break from the animated story would’ve been a better approach, in my opinion.

The plot takes us way back, starting with the birth of Estella/Cruella. From her childhood, we see that Cruella has always been different—and her black-and-white hair isn’t just a style choice. What I liked about this depth they gave her character is that she was never one to follow the rules, and her defiance led to a tragedy that changed her life. Cruella became homeless and lived on the streets, stealing and conning with the help of her two friends, Jasper and Horace.

Jasper always knew Cruella had a talent for fashion and got her a job working for the Baroness (played by Emma Thompson), a fashion icon whose character reminds you of Meryl Streep’s Miranda in The Devil Wears Prada (2006). The Baroness noticed Cruella’s potential and took her under her wing, but Cruella’s past is tied to the Baroness in ways that come back to haunt her. Cruella’s life is jolted when she sees the Baroness wearing a necklace that belonged to someone she loved. The Baroness’s complete dismissal of that person hits Cruella hard, fueling her desire for revenge and to reclaim the necklace.

This is where Cruella’s darker side takes over. We watch her and her partners bond, scheme, and do everything they can to bring down the Baroness.

Even though I enjoyed the movie, I still don’t understand why it had to be over two hours long. For example, the introduction featuring Cruella and her mother felt unnecessarily long. There were other parts, too, that felt irrelevant to the main story and could’ve been cut. The many bonding moments between the Baroness and Cruella, for instance, could’ve been shortened.

As for the movie’s major twist, I personally liked the story better before the twist was revealed.