Cruella

Let's get it out of the way, the beginning of Cruella wherein the title character's adopted mother dies from being pushed off a cliff by Dalmatian guard dogs is really silly and laughable, but doesn't take away from how good the rest of the movie is. While one questions how you make a movie about Cruella de Vil, someone known for skinning puppies for fashion, and make her compelling and relatable the answer is to do what Maleficent did with Sleeping Beauty's own villain. That being to do an alternate take that gets some of the characteristics and similar aesthetics but changes just enough so that they'd be seen as more antihero/antivillain. So despite the fact that Glenn Close, who played the character in the live action versions of 101 Dalmatians, is a producer in this it isn't a prequel to those films but just happens to be set mostly in the '70s and has a younger version. This movie is actually quite compelling when it comes to Cruella's origins, helped by Emma Stone's performance. She lost her mother, ended up an orphan, survived with two friends for ten years as petty thieves, got the job she wanted at a prestigious fashion company, and got to work with the woman who inspired her. It was during her time working with the Baroness, played by Emma Thompson, that Cruella, then known as Estella, learned about the truth of her mother's death. This would lead to Estella adopting the Cruella persona, sabotage the Baroness's fashion shows, and eventually learning about her true parentage. As someone who isn't into fashion, I was truly enthralled by the designs all thanks to costume designer Jenny Beaven and his approach to the punk rock movement of the '70s. The development that Cruella goes through is believable and handled very well thanks to the combination of Stone's performance, the writing done by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara, and Craig Gillespie's direction. Though certain aspects at the start of the movie do happen way too fast and we don't get to see much of young Estella's childhood crimes with Jasper and Horace. While the reveal of Cruella's true parentage is such a huge cliche, the way this film handles it just adds to the crazy aesthetic that it's had since the beginning. While the soundtrack, editing, and cinematography are all great throughout, it's during the montage of Cruella ruining the fashion shows that uses all three in such powerful ways. So while Cruella may seem like just another of Disney's live action remakes and it does have a few silly moments, this one stands out from the rest by trying a lot of unique ideas. Over all: 95%

2021 top list so far:

1. Nobody

2. A Quiet Place Part II

3. Raya and the Last Dragon

4. Cruella

5. Wrath of Man