The road to Cruella is quite similar to 2019’s Joker. When I first heard the news about an origin story about the clown prince of crime back in 2018, I immediately said to myself, “Why? an origin story about The Joker will never work.” Boy, was I wrong! The final product was one of the best films of 2019 and one of the most awarded films of the year.
Fast forward to the news that the villain from one of my all-time favorite Disney animated films, One Hundred and One Dalmations, Cruella De Vil would be receiving the same treatment. The same sentiments followed. Why? and once again, I was pretty wrong in my immediate assumptions as Cruella is devilish and jumps into the forefront of Disney Live-Action films.
Unlike the last couple of years, Cruella doesn’t just retell an old story. It creates a lavish comic-book villain-style origin that opens up the film to an even larger audience. The film is set in the 1970s, during the early stages of the punk rock movement. It follows Estella, a young aspiring fashion designer who longs to have a career similar to Baroness Von Hellman (Emma Thompson).
What works so well with the film is that it is a true origin story. We don’t just enter grown-up Estella’s world. Instead, we see a young Estella played wonderfully by Tipper Seifert-Cleveland, always knowing she was just a bit different and rebellious. Writers Dana Fox and Tony McNamara’s choice to have cinephiles dive into young Estella raises the stakes and truly has its audiences understand Estella’s desires, despair, and motivations as she grows up.
Director Craig Gillespie’s hot streak continues as his direction not only matches I, Tonya but at times surpasses it. Gillespie brings a frenetic energy to the screen that not only channels Cruella’s frenzied energy but is always able to maintain the right tone throughout the film. While Gillespie may not receive any awards buzz for this film, there is no denying that his direction is one of the film’s bright spots.
There are no misfires when it comes to the performances in Cruella. Joel Fry and Paul Walter Hauser are an absolute delight to watch as Jasper and Horace, Cruella’s right-hand men. However, it’s the Emmas that steal the show. The duo’s chemistry on screen is nothing short of electric and immediately becomes one of the most iconic pairings in any Disney live-action film ever released.
Emma Thompson’s Baroness channels her inner Miranda Priestly and offers up an assertive, evil, crude, and quite frankly hilarious performance. In a career full of awards and highlights, Thompson’s portrayal may go down as one of my favorites of her career.
I mentioned earlier how the vibes of a comic-book villain origin film are sprinkled here. When it comes to the titular character, the same questions that preceded Heath Ledger before the release of The Dark Knight, can Heath top Jack? followed Academy Award winner Emma Stone. Can she be as good as Glenn Close? The answer is quite simple, YES! Not only does Stone surpass Close, but she delivers a performance that is transformative, visceral, and right up there with the best of her career. While many look at Battle of the Sexes as her best since La La Land, I’m looking the DeVil in the eye and letting all the cinephiles know that Stone is at her very best in this film.
The third MVP of the film is a no-doubter in my eyes. Costume designer Jenny Beavan’s costumes are the best of the year and, quite frankly, some of the best in any Disney live-action film. Stone revealed during an interview with E.T. that she had over 40 costume changes throughout the film, and each one of them is unique, sleek, and lavish, and that is all credit to Beavan. I will not be much of a prisoner of the moment guy, but if this film and Beavan are not nominated for an Academy Award, I will be floored.
Nicholas Britell’s score, while subtle, is quite adequate, and the soundtrack of the film is full of bangers that add to the authenticity of the punk scene during the time and by the end of the film, there is no denying that we all have “Sympathy for the Devil“.
In a summer blockbuster season set to kick off the movie-going experience after a year off, Cruella may be its biggest surprise. While the Disney logo is splattered on every poster and credit open, Cruella is not just for kids and offers a refreshing story that stands out from all these copy-and-paste Disney live-action films over the past few years, and if there is one thing Cruella De Vil will not stand for is unoriginality.
P.S.- There is a post-credit scene, and it’s pretty delightful
Cruella is scheduled to be released theatrically and simultaneously available on Disney+ with Premier Access on May 28, 2021.
