Disney’s newest film Cruella retells the stories of one of their classic villains Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmations (1961). This comedy, crime movie begins a new narrative from young Estella and how she grew to be the infamous Cruella we all know today. Although at first glance many might skip watching the film, well let me tell you some reasons why it’s worth watching. Don’t worry this blog will be Spoiler Free! 

Main Plot

Ok to be honest the movie isn’t perfect, but neither are most of Disney’s recent movies. However, with Cruella, even though it is still considered a “family-friendly’ film, it does touch upon some darker themes. 

For a 2hour movie, you want to make sure that a movie is worth all of your time, which Cruella does amazingly, after the first 15 minutes… I will admit the first 15 minutes of the movie was quite boring (but we have to remember this is still a Disney movie) yet it is crucial to understanding how the rest of the movie’s plot will play out, so it’s best to not doze off during the beginning. 

But stay tuned, for Disney does intend to keep Cruella a true “bad” villain. Contrast to Disney’s Maleficent (2014) where they turned her into a “misunderstood hero”. Some fans even compared this film’s Cruella character to that of the Joker (2019), so that must be a good thing, considering how great that movie was. Thus making Cruella a better film in my opinion (in terms of staying true to the character).

Many fans refuse to watch the film because of how different it is from the 1961 version of Cruella, where she is much more flamboyant and skins puppies… However, Disney couldn’t add it to this film because it would most likely raise the parental supervision rating.

But despite all of that, Disney still manages to tell the story of how one psycho, messed up kid could grow to be so evil. With an intriguing plot on it’s own, along with some added details, such as Cruella growing up to be a fashion designer, which I find to be so perfectly fitting for her character. 

Into the Film

Now delving deeper into the details of what makes this film stand out from other Cruella movies:

Amazing leading actresses, Emma Stone and Emma Thompson! So even if you couldn’t care less about the film, just watching the relationship and acting between these two characters is a fantastic experience in itself. They both portrayed their roles so perfectly, that it gave me a reason to continue watching the movie. The drama, tension, conflict, is so similar to that of The Devil Wears Prada (2006), with Cruella being Andy and the Baroness as Miranda.

But I wouldn’t say it’s an exact copy, but more of that idea that they purposely made references to the prior film due to similarities in fashion, but the overall plot is so different, that it gives Cruella its own unique experience. Besides the costumes, outfits, and fashion in this film are unlike anything before, for it’s so creative with their “villainous” look that watching every outfit change was worth every minute. 

Now if you read the genres listed under this film, it will tell you “comedy” and “crime” and rightfully so. There are many gags and light-hearted moments throughout the film that help to separate from the more suspenseful and thriller moments. But “crime” is definitely the genre that pulls the plot of this movie more. With a storyline similar to that of any Mission Impossible or Ocean 11’s series. 

Alright, that is as much as I will say about this film, and hopefully I have convinced you to watch this film, because it honestly will be worth your time! But if you haven’t been convinced yet, well what else is there to watch? Many of you are already bored and in need of something new and refreshing… and besides if you clicked and read through the blog this far, you might as well just watch it. Now this film won’t be better than the original 101 Dalmations in any way, but it does offer a fun perspective on the upbringing of Cruella for some much needed backstory (not to be forever labeled as the dog-skinner villain). 

Thank you so much for reading! Comment down below if you have watched the film and what are your thoughts!