Cruella (2021) - Emma Stone Is A Stellar Cruella!

Disney’s live action remakes have had a varying reputation. Some have been decent, some bad, and some have literally just been the same film with a lacklustre repaint. (Looking at you, Lion King) But after sitting through their latest offering, I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed Cruella. However, it soon hit me why I liked it so much… they weren’t trying to remake the original.

Disney fans will already know that a live action remake of 101 Dalmatians exists, with Glen Close as the charismatic De Ville. So the question can easily be raised, why do another remake? And the answer is simply that they didn’t. This story establishes Cruella (Emma Stone) and those nearest to her prior to the events we’ve seen in the classic 60s animation. And I love that they did this. No matter which version you watch, Cruella is always the most appealing part, because of how wicked and lively she is. Emma Stone is no different here, providing a stellar performance as Cruella. (Please excuse the wordplay) From start to finish, she is chewing the scenery in the best way possible. She captures the wicked side we all love about this psychopath, but also establishes an undercurrent of trauma and longing that drives her to embrace her naturally crazy personality. It doesn’t make Cruella a traditional goodie for the audience to root for, but more so makes her an anti-hero. She’s the focus of our attention, but she’s not someone to aspire towards or be inspired by. I’ve seen critics question the film’s inability to make you root for this character, and my counter-argument is… why would you want to? Cruella is inherently a crazed woman, who back stabs and steals for her own personal gain. Making her a character to root for would unravel everything that audiences love about her. Plus, sometimes just because someone is the lead in a film, it doesn’t mean we have to root for them in the traditional way.

The rest of the cast are stellar too, with Emma Thompson, Mark Strong and Kirby Howell-Baptiste all bringing their A game to this film. But my favourites along side Stone would no doubt be John McCrea as Artie, as well as Paul Walter Hauser and Joel Fry as everyone’s favourite crime duo, Horace and Jasper. These three actors give incredible performances, with Fry and Hauser bringing their own flare to the established characters. The interactions these three have with Stone’s Cruella also bring about amazing on screen chemistry. My only minor complaint with McCrea’s character is the fact that the character is once again being focused on by the media as being a breakthrough character for LGBT communities, which would be amazing, if Disney hadn’t already shown off their ability to be inclusive on numerous occasions. I love this character, and really enjoy the wider range of inclusive opportunities Disney are offering, I just wish the media would celebrate the entertaining character in this highly entertaining film, without resorting to selling the character on his inclusivity points. If he was the first breakthrough for Disney, then this would be justified, but the fact is he isn’t. Again, it’s great to see studios being more inclusive, but does it really need to be turned into a publicity stunt. Just let the character be entertaining. It wasn’t a huge publicity stunt that a pre-existing character in this story is a different skin colour compared to the 60s film, so why not let McCrea’s character get the same treatment?

Stepping away from the amazing performances, this film looks amazing in every sense. With our leads being involved in the fashion industry, the costume design, hair and make up is first class throughout. I can see this film being a prime contender at the BAFTAs and Oscars next year. The 70s setting was an excellent idea, as I can easily see this incarnation of Cruella blending in with the punk rock revolution that took place around this time. The time period is lovingly recreated, right down to the tiniest detail. Backing this up is some really clever music choices, using 70s music to back up the story. And thankfully it isn’t all recognisable classic tunes, some you’ll recognise, others maybe not, but they all sell the setting and moments in scenes really well. Cinematography is beautiful as well, with my only minor complaint being the colour grading for the skin tones. The colours on many characters’ skin appear washed out compared to the same shots in the trailers. This could easily be something to do with the projector being used for my screening, so I won’t know for sure until I picked it up on Blu-Ray later this year. Thankfully, this is a minor complaint, as the rest of the primary colours pop off the screen, and the shots are absolutely sublime. My highlight is a long take early on, as we follow the camera through a whole building til we meet Cruella at the end of the shot. It’s really clever in the context of the scene.

Overall, I was really satisfied with Cruella, something I didn’t think I’d ever say about one of these live action Disney “remakes”, I think going forward I will drop the term “remake” for this film, as it feels entirely like its own thing. Seeing 101 Dalmatians can come in handy for context, but you can also enjoy this film on its own terms. I highly recommend seeking this out for something fresh and interesting from Disney, and I can only prey and hope the house of mouse keeps giving film makers the chance to actually do something interesting with their existing properties.

SCORES

Story - 4/5

Characters - 5/5

Production - 5/5

Acting - 5/5

Music - 4.5/5

TOTAL - 9.4/10