She Still Tries to Kill Dogs Later in Life

Cruella (2021)

Cruella is one of the most unnecessary movies in existence. As far as Disney villains go, there are several who are much more deserving of the Maleficent style origin story, like Ursula or Scar, whose kingdoms were usurped by goody-two-shoe siblings, or Ratigan, the Moriarty to the Great Mouse Detective Basil’s Sherlock Holmes. But Cruella was just an insane fashion designer who wanted to kill puppies because their pelts inspired her genius vision. This movie does its best to try and reshape her motivation for two hours, then undoes all of the goodwill earned in the first two acts with a diabolical third act.

While the premise is flimsy at best, the execution is near perfect. Cruella is a marvel of technical filmmaking. Every aspect, save the story, is magnificent. The physical foundation of the film is rock solid. Every set, every costume, every character is placed and used to perfection. It is visually spectacular, using practical sets and beautiful designs to funnel focus to the important aspect of every frame, while being fully intricate and ornate as a total image as well. Even the CGI dogs were wonderfully rendered to blend in seamlessly and emote appropriately.

The actors were also superb. Emma Stone and Emma Thompson give their typical stellar performances and I expected nothing less. But the two brightest parts were Cruella’s lackeys’ Jasper and Horace, played by Joel Fry and Paul Walter Hauser respectively. While Stone was the clear driving force as the titular lead, Fry and Hauser provided the much-needed heart to humanize a movie about a burgeoning psychopath who is on her way to trying to murder puppies. Their dialogue and physical comedy are almost enough to make you forget that their boss is best known for trying to kill and skin adorable puppies.

Unfortunately, the technical excellence isn’t enough to overcome the weak story that tries to explain away Cruella DeVil’s motivations later in life. The exposition copies any rebellious youth/orphan movie, the first and second act are typical cat and mouse games of toxic one-upping like in Mean Girls or Devil Wears Prada (and the second act is dragged out for at least 10 extra minutes), and a twist and conclusion straight out of a Disney for Dummies book. But while the story is soft and weak, it is simple enough that it doesn’t really mess anything up and the movie is able to still be entertaining, thanks to the great performances. Overall, I enjoyed Cruella, but don’t intend on ever watching it again. I give Cruella 70 out of 101 Dalmatians that she tried to murder.