Some are comparing "Cruella" to "Joker" meets "Devil Wears Prada" but its mostly an over-done re-work spin-off that doesn't know its audience.
In a series of spin-offs and re-makes that Disney has churned out for the past few years, “Cruella” is perhaps the least asked for reproduction. The movie, of course, centers around the evil villain of Disney’s “101 Dalmatians” and it gives her an origin story that no one asked for. In case you have been sitting on the edge of your seat for the past 60 years since the original movie was released (1961), "Cruella" answers some of the un-asked questions viewers have been wondering about.
Where did she come from? Why does she have white and black hair? And why, oh why, does she hate Dalmatians?
Turns out the movie “Cruella” answers all of these burning questions throughout its nearly two and a half hour run time and provides more insight into the crazy lady behind the lens. Turns out, in this Disney Origin Story, Cruella is an orphan who moves to London and creates her own family with her band of thieves and hit men, Horace and Jasper. When they aren’t robbing the public, Cruella spends her time designing clothes and aspiring to be the next up and coming fashion designer.
While the movie is spotty (pun, intended), the best parts of the film highlight the rise of punk fashion in 1970s London. If we had a movie just about this punk scene without the unnecessary back-story of a dog-hating villain, I would have been invested. The movie features great call-back songs to the 1970s including the iconic Nancy Sinatra’s “Boots Are Made for Walking” song while Cruella drunkenly stumbles through a department store and re-designs a window display that kicks off the start of her tormented fashion career.
While the original “101 Dalmatians” paints the dogs in a positive light, “Cruella”, naturally, paints a much different picture. In the early scenes of the movie, we discover that Cruella’s mother was killed by the dogs as ordered by the much elusive Baroness (Emma Thompson). Seeking revenge for her mother’s passing, Cruella * obviously * has to steal the dogs….and the rest is history.
The movie overall is…messy and totally unnecessary. However, Stone’s performance in the titular role makes it all seem a little better. The film itself is rated PG-13 which means that it most likely tailored towards the mid-millennials and adults versus children. I don’t know many people that would invest unless they are a Cruella fanatic…if they even exist. I had to watch for my blog.
Movie Rating: 6/10
And that’s the sitch.
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