Disney have taken a step in the right direction at redeeming themselves with this rockin' fun origin story no one asked for, although not without its flaws.
One of the most distinct scanline memories I have from my VHS youth is of Cruella De Vil bursting into a small comfy little house, spreading toxic green cigarette smoke all over the place and putting out that same cigarette into a muffin, all the while cackling about her love for furs. She was a character whom at the same time I was afraid of and also wanted to have a drink with – of course at that age the only drink permitted to me would’ve been a cold glass of orange juice on the rocks, but that would’ve done either way. Fast forward seventeen years and I find myself in head-scratching confusion when the trailer for an origin story for Cruella is making its rounds on the internet. Does she really need a prequel story, I asked myself? Is it going to be just as bad as the other Disney live-action offerings? Keeping these questions pinned onto the walls of my mind, I watched Cruella (2021) with my girlfriend and her mother.
I was perplexed throughout the first five minutes because everything was in Polish. Being in Poland, where we watched the film, my girlfriend made sure to book tickets for a Polish subtitled screening with original English audio rather than a Polish dubbing. Once the projector started flickering however, everything was in Polish. What is happening here? Was the film shot like this, building up to some spectacular linguistic bamboozle? Or have I just been spending so much time with Polish people that their language is taking over mine? Either way, when I dawned upon me that I will not understand a single word that will be said during the next two hours, I decided to put my head back and take a nap. Suddenly the room was silent, the picture on the giant canvas frozen in place and then, blackness. Seems they’ve caught on to their screw up, I said out loud to no one’s understanding except my girlfriends. Moments later, the film was back on track from the very beginning and in English this time.
For those of you who just want to be put out of their misery of reading this swill and move on, I’ll answer the main questions right here. It’s most certainly a band apart from all the other live action Disney “films”, definitely the best one in my opinion. The question to do with the need for Cruella’s origin story is a bit complicated.
Situating her genesis during the electric punk rock 70’s where her genius is awoken as a fashion designer with the added skill of being able to steal like a ghost, Cruella finds herself within the body of Estella. As her dormant personality takes hold, Cruella storms around London, upstaging her idol turned rival with the most revolutionary and amazing looks. The film never quite convincingly justifies why Cruella got an origin story, apart from fan-service pointing towards small details about her characters like where her impeccable fashion sense came from and exactly why her entire will is bent towards getting a fur coat made out of dalmatian skins many many years later. Regardless of that, Cruella is an entire power stations load of dazzling, rocking fun! I was left quite surprised by the greatness of some of the visual elements in the film; incredibly detailed and creative costume design which is to me the most magnetic draw of the film, set design which captures both the elegance and squalor of London, both Emma’s – Stone and Thompson – knocking the audience away with stellar performances, and alright camera work. Considering this is a Disney live-action film and my prejudice against those affairs is stentorian, I expected the most bland and terrible excuse for camera operation, I was non-plussed to see a case of acceptable camera work that didn’t bore me to such a degree that I forget all about what cameras are and what they do. It seems that Disney and their adopted child Marvel have realised of late that if they want people to watch their films, they must get them directed by individuals who actually know how to make them. This particular exhibit is presented by Craig Gillespie, his name will probably ring a bell because he’s responsible for directing I, Tonya (2017). His directions in Cruella works well with the visual make-up of the story, carrying us through this carefully realised hedonistic world. One could even go as far as to draw some tenuous connections between his directing on both films, especially when it comes to the titular character with two sides.
Jenny Beavan is the mastermind behind the costume design and if one person’s work carries the film upon its shoulders like the mighty Atlas, it’s hers. There is an endless multitude of amazing, drop-dead fantastic dresses both worn by Cruella and the Baroness, but the formers are the main event. These dresses are provocative, reflect the times, look fantastic and have so much detail in them that only a viewing at the cinema will do them any justice.
Meanwhile, working to keep us immersed in the 70’s is the set design and soundtrack which took me back to one of the most fashionable moments in history. London stands like a beautiful titan of culture and change and the manner in which the city is presented is as a playground for Cruella’s inspiration and the space she needs to grow into the fashion phantom she is. My feet were tapping and head was bobbing to the tune of the whole film because this entire soundtrack loaded with; The Rolling Stones, Queen, The Zombies, Nina Simone, The Clash, Blondie, ELO, The Doors, to name but a few, is a goddamn treat to the ears. I can only try and fail to imagine just how much money was spent in acquiring the rights to use these songs, but when you’re the biggest media production titan on the planet, every expense will be spared to make sure that no expense is spared.
Pitting two Emma’s against each other on a fashionable war-path is the greatest thing I’ve seen all month. Their performances are the engines behind the momentum of the movie and they’re firing on all cylinders here. Stone’s character that flickers between out of her depth and a bit shy but aware of her abilities as Estella, and vampy, sharp as a knife and cold and unmoving as the iceberg that bested the Titanic with an army of demons in her eyes as Cruella. In the other corner, Thompson plays the narcissistic, elegant Baroness who is so drunk on power that no one will dare cross her. Her power trip is unending and she’s been walking on the steps of this unfathomable influence for so long, the world is in the palm of her hands. Her ire is sparked by the person who is stealing the spotlight, upstaging her at every turn and humiliating her on her own turf in ways she never thought possible. Their feud is the greatest match-up since the battle between the Greeks and the Trojans.
Clearly there’s plenty to praise about the film. One thing which falls severely short is the screenplay. The narration begins to feel like it’s holding our hand for far too long and spoon feeding us the story even though the audience can work out for themselves what is happening and what beats the story is throwing us. The only instances of dialogue which I really enjoyed where the Baronesses acrimonious insults to everyone in her firing line, the rest of it felt like… how do I put this… like cold porridge. It was a real case of style over substance. But considering every other Disney live-action conversion has been lacking in both style and substance, I will take this as a step in the right direction.
I haven’t really seen any of the other 101 Dalmatian live action films, just the original animated one which introduced us to this elegantly evil character. The buzz of this film was ruined almost immediately for me when I learnt that a sequel is in the works. Why? Is this not enough? Why must you keep going on this aimless venture? Well, just so we don’t end on a sour note here, I do recommend this film, especially while it’s still in its theatrical run. The parts of this movie that work, work exceptionally well and are well worth seeing in their true glory, so go do it.
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