REVIEW: Disney’s Cruella is All Bark and No Bite
One of the most iconic villains to ever grace the Disney animated world, Cruella de Vil receives her very own prequel in Cruella. The movie is filled with amazing music and fantastic fashion, this original story just doesn’t do the character justice.
Cruella explores how a young girl, Estella becomes the decidedly evil, Cruella de Vil. Estella’s (Emma Stone) childhood is turned upside down when tragedy strikes and takes to living her life on the streets of London, stealing and conning with the help of her friends, Horace (Paul Walter Hauser) and Jasper (Joel Fry). Despite the hurdles thrown her way, Estella dreams of a career in fashion, namely working for the House of Baroness, a fashion company run by The Baroness (Emma Thompson). When that dream becomes a reality, Estella comes to realize The Baroness is not who she seems and in order for Estella to survive, she must bring out a side of herself she has been hiding for years.
Directed by Craig Gillespie, Cruella has the components to be a welcome addition to Disney’s live-action wheelhouse. The film features a talented cast, a villain previously unexplored, and the foundation of an animated film beloved by legions of fans; yet, Cruella never quite lands. Instead, the movie spends two-hours slowly building to then never take off.
The two best parts of this movie were the fashion and the music. Every piece of clothing featured was eye-catching while each piece of music amplified its chosen scene. The fashion certainly helped flesh out parts of the movie and the music provided a much-needed spark of invigoration.
Stone was a great choice to portray the iconic Disney villain, but the story wasn’t enough to truly let the actress just let go. Stone’s performance felt confined which one can only attribute to the writing. Thompson is absolutely fabulous as The Baroness; there is no question why the character is the way she is and Thompson takes this role and runs with it. But the sought-after confrontation between Cruella and the Baroness, which the movie spends an inordinately long time building towards, peters out when it finally arrives. Stone and Thompson have the chops to pull off such a scene, the issue remains in the weakness of the script.
There is a clear gap between where this movie ends and where we encounter Cruella in 101 Dalmatians. This prequel clearly shows the motivation behind why Cruella becomes who she is and why she behaves the way she does in this movie but it does not set up the necessary groundwork to then fully justify her behavior in 101 Dalmatians. Too many questions remain unanswered, and unless the ultimate goal is to continue the story of how Cruella becomes the Cruella in a Cruella 2, the overall goal of this movie misses its mark.
I really wanted to enjoy this movie. Cruella is one of my favorite villains but this movie’s inability to successfully flesh out the why behind Cruella being the way she is in 101 Dalmatians leaves much to be desired. Conversely, if the intention of the writing team was not to explain how, and why, Cruella ends up so wicked then several parts of the movie should’ve been removed. The inclusion of these plot pieces only serves to leave the audience waiting for a resolution or explanation that never comes. Hopefully, the movie will get a sequel so the many questions I had after watching this movie are answered, but, if there isn’t, this movie just doesn’t live up to the hype.
Grade: B-