Directed by:
Craig GillespieCinematography:
Nicolas KarakatsanisComposer:
Nicholas BritellCast:
Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Paul Walter Hauser, Joel Fry, Mark Strong, Emily Beecham, Jamie Demetriou, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Ed Birch, John McCrea (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Emma Stone stars as one of cinema’s most notorious and stylish villains, Cruella de Vil. Determined to become a successful fashion designer, a creative young grifter named Estella (Stone) teams with a pair of mischievous thieves to survive on the London streets. But when her flair for fashion catches the eye of the legendary designer Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson), Estella rises to become the raucous, revenge-bent “Cruella.” (Disney / Buena Vista)
(more)Videos (3)
Reviews (8)
I really had no idea how masterfully Cruella's story could be drawn and portrayed. I left the movie theater excited, full of enthusiasm and energy. I was moved by the beautiful ending of the movie and once again convinced that Emma Stone really does demonstrate Oscar-worthy qualities. The whole movie is complemented by brilliantly flamboyant and attractive costumes and makeup and a perfect soundtrack.
()
Along with the evil queens from Snow White and Alice in Wonderland, Cruella is one of the top villainous female characters from the Disney Kingdom, along with Maleficent and Ursula. Moreover, she is one of the cherished ones whose films were made during Disney's lifetime. As far as feature remakes go, only Maleficent has had her own films so far, and there have been two updated Alice in Wonderland films, with a new Snow White and The Little Mermaid in the pipeline. Few would have guessed, therefore, that a standalone Cruella would be much more reminiscent of I, Tonya in terms of style (including Paul Walter Hauser) than anything else. Craig Gillespie was a great choice and signed off on a prequel to 101 Dalmatians that would even get Dodie Smith out of his chair. The result is an experience I will definitely not deny myself for future reruns. It’s also the first movie where I don't mind Emma Stone after all the flat and uninteresting futile girl characters.
()
A family drama, a thriller, a heist, a comedy, and a bit of an action movie too. Craig Gillespie has mixed an admirable genre palette, which, along with the divine Emma Stone, is ruled by a polished audiovisual style. It's the kind of "juicy" film where you know from the exposition that you're going to enjoy pretty much every shot. And I couldn't help but notice that for a Disney production, it felt a little too cruel and evil in places, which of course was purely a benefit. In short, it's not a predictable Disney movie, because you don't see such an appealing and cool origin of one iconic (non-)villain that often. [75%]
()
Unlike 101 Dalmatians, Cruella has a significantly darker atmosphere. It might have been even better if it hadn’t been made by Disney, a company I’m not particularly fond of (just like the KGB, CIA, and the censors who oversee political correctness). Anyway, I was mightily surprised by how much I enjoyed the film throughout. Emma Stone was excellent, Emma Thompson was a perfect villainess, and the others did their best to support them, as the two Emmas stole the movie for themselves. I really enjoyed this one.
()
Craig Gillespie is a very skilled director and Cruella confirms it. The ridiculously overblown running time was a bit jarring at first, but this Disney original paces unexpectedly well. Emma Stone is very likeable most of the time, to the point where you wonder if she's actually supposed to be the villain, but the moments where she turns into a sociopath out for (justified) revenge work so well because of it. Emma Thompson enjoys playing the top-notch bitch, too, and Gillespie pours one visual idea after another from his sleeve, plucking a bit from Joker here and Burton there, and his stylish 1970s London is damn good to look at. Like the whole film, in fact. I was quite sorry that they obviously had to rein themselves in a bit at times. Overall though, it's a damn entertaining and audiovisually polished spectacle that works as a drama, a comedy, a family film and a heist. I don't know if I'd sign off on the claim that of all the live-action throwbacks to Disney classics, Cruella is the best, but it's certainly the most distinctive and daring.
()
Ads