255. Cruella; movie review

 

 

CRUELLA

Cert 12A

134 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate threat

Oh, we all love 101 Dalmatians, don't we?

Both the 1961 Disney animation and the 1996 real-life remake were oodles of fun and at their centre was the villain, Cruella De-vil.

Indeed, so dastardly was she that the idea of making a film all about her seemed to be taking a risk.

However, I am pleased to report that director Craig Gillespie and Emma Stone, one of Hollywood's finest actresses, have pulled it off.

In its early stages, Gillespie's film takes us back through Cruella's childhood when she was simply known as Estella, the daughter of a single mum (Emily Beecham) who dies tragically.

Thus, Estella finds herself in London and joins a couple of orphan thieves.

The movie then spins on a decade when older Estella (Stone) is still living and with her pals Jasper (Joel Fry) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser).

By now, their crimes have become rather more sophisticated and they appear to be having a ball but Estella harbours a deep desire to be a fashion designer.

So, she manages a foot on the rung when she becomes a cleaner at the label owned by the infamous Baroness (Emma Thompson).

She sets the bar in cruelty for Estella, prompting her to metamorphose into her alter-ego, Cruella.

Stone and Thompson are a joy - hamming it up for all they are worth as the queen of arrogance and the pretender to her throne.

Gillespie's film also looks great - the 1960s backdrops complement a soundtrack of classic tracks.

And it has a lively flow which leaves the audience, surprisingly on Cruella's side.

Was the character worth revisiting? On reflection, I think so.

Reasons to watch: Stone and Thompson hamming it up

Reasons to avoid; If you were expecting anything like the other Cruella films

Laughs: Two

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? In the catalogue of notable Cruella iterations, she had never been played by an English actress. Every one has been American except for Victoria Smurfit who is Irish and Michelle Gomez who is Scottish.

The final word. Emma Stone: "I thought it was so cool to see a film where there’s no love story in sight, it’s really just these two women on their own journey doing what they love to do and they’re doing that against all odds, at all costs." Marie Claire

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