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Plot
Fashion genius Estella “Cruella” de Vil (Emma Stone) embarks on a quest of revenge against the evil Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson) in this origin story of the infamous Disney baddie.
My Take
Cruella is one wild ride of a movie. It’s not something I really expected going in. I was expecting more of a normal run of the mill origin story with touches of maleficent thrown in. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a fairly well crafted origin story / tale of revenge. The material is dark and a bit twisted at times. The look and feel of it reminds me a lot of 2019s Joker with how the main character’s real identity is flushed out due to extreme circumstances and stressors. The cinematography is excellent, kudos to Nicolas Karakatsanis for such wild and original photography and camera work.
Being a film that revolves around the fashion design world, some odd wardrobe and costume choices were expected. But they really outdid themselves with some very creative designs and set pieces. And although I see a lot of the title character’s outfits as a little too Edward Scissorhands at times, they still capture that look and feel of the movie very well.
One of the things that gets constantly and unfortunately overlooked in films is the importance of music. This film is a mix of original score and hand picked songs. As such, they perfectly go along with the films feel and the particular scenes they are used in. One I didn’t see coming but was an awesome addition was “Five to One” by The Doors. Completely out of left field but wonderfully made in my opinion.
I was skeptical of Emma Stone as Cruella but thankfully I was proven wrong. She has been in some different movies and I wondered how her take on the Disney villain would be. But thankfully she knocked it out of the park with a performance that made you laugh, cringe, and wonder where did that come from, all at the same time. Mark Strong is great in everything he’s in and while he doesn’t have much to work with, his screen presence is felt whenever he in on camera. Likewise with Emma Thompson as the Baroness. I loved her as Pamela Travers in Saving Mr. Banks and she makes an awesome turn as a true villain in this movie.
The Verdict
I highly recommend this film, but mainly to the teen audiences and above. The content might a bit much for the younger kids. But as a live action Disney film for the older crowd, it is a welcome surprise and is worth a look!
8/10
Don’t forget to check out my other reviews!
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