The reviews for Disney's Cruella are in, and here's what the critics are saying. Disney's trend of revisiting their past classics and revamping them for today in live-action form continues with Cruella, though this one is more in the vein of Maleficent than, say, Aladdin. Starring Emma Stone as the titular budding villainess, this new story explores the origins of Cruella de Vil, back when she was merely an aspiring fashion designer named Estella. This comes years after Glenn Close played the fully formed Cruella in Disney's own 101 Dalmatians.
Directed by Craig Gillespie, Cruella also stars Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Mark Strong. After entering development in 2013, the film took some time to push forward. There was once a time when Cruella was scheduled for release in late 2020, but that was later changed. Instead, the movie will debut in theaters this weekend - and it will be available via Premier Access on Disney+. Cruella follows fellow live-action reimagining Mulan in this regard, as well as Raya and the Last Dragon.
Ahead of Friday's premiere, critics' reviews for Cruella have been shared online. A smattering of excerpts lie below to give a taste of what the general consensus seems to be. Read on to see how Cruella shapes up.
Debopriyaa Dutta, Screen Rant
Stone is the absolute epicenter of Cruella, and she owns the role completely, immersing herself within the dual roles that flesh out the nuances of an emotionally driven backstory. Estella’s transformation into Cruella de Vil is neither rushed nor forced, as she embraces her new, devilish alter-ego with great panache, albeit pushed forward by unbearable pain.
Katie Rife, AV Club
A love of pure aesthetics will help anyone looking to appreciate the movie, whose sets and costumes are as indulgent as its soundtrack. As an opportunity for Emma Stone to purr and vamp in elaborate gowns, Cruella is plenty enjoyable. But the “too much is just enough” attitude that makes it visually pleasurable also makes it a slog in the storytelling department.
Leah Greenblatt, EW
The answer, apparently, is a movie as shiny and hectic as Cruella: a heady exercise in style and scenery-chewing whose high-gloss chaos seems designed less for cohesive storytelling or world-building than for looking super-cool in previews.
Lovia Gyarkye, THR
From Thompson’s glamorous plaid gold suit and show-stopping dresses to Stone’s lace-trimmed gloves, peplum skirts and one adventurous frock made of newspaper, the costumes are architectural and aesthetic feats that pay homage to designers from Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano to Alexander McQueen.
Angie Han, Mashable
Estella is a role Stone could play in her sleep, cute and clever and easy to root for. Cruella, on the other hand, feels like Stone stretching her wings. With the help of a slinky walk, an extra-husky voice, and costumes to die for (oh, we'll get there), Stone refashions herself into the diva we never knew she had inside her.
Ben Travis, Empire
What could have been a mere IP cash-in instead becomes an unexpectedly cinematic crime-and-couture romp, delivered with the sort of style, snarl and eccentricity that Cruella herself would likely applaud. She makes being bad look very good.
Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
There's no denying that "Cruella" is stylish and kinetic, with a nasty edge that's unusual for a recent Disney live-action feature. But it's also exhausting, disorganized, and frustratingly inert, considering how hard it works to assure you that it's thrilling and cheeky.
Kate Erbland, IndieWire
“Cruella” ends with both a definitive answer to “Hey, what made Cruella this way?” and a kind of hedging that seems destined to both rework the Disney canon (the answer is, of course, not “she’s a nut who wants to kill dogs!”) and leave open room for more films.
Peter Debruge, Variety
What “Cruella” is not — to the immense relief of many, I’m sure — is another “Maleficent.” (Although who could top the casting of Angelina Jolie as Sleeping Beauty’s misunderstood nemesis?) Whereas that live-action Disney spinoff was an obnoxious eyesore that risked tarnishing the appeal of the original, director Craig Gillespie’s “Cruella” proves ingeniously creative in its reimagining of the underlying IP.
Overall, the critical consensus for Cruella is pretty positive. The point that gets criticized the most often within the reviews is the actual story, with some calling it meandering and a bit hodge-podge. It also doesn't appear to have much connection to 101 Dalmatians, which can either be viewed as a good thing or a bad one. However, what Cruella perhaps lacks in inventive storytelling, it more than makes up for in style and talent. As was expected, Cruella's costumes and 1960s-70s punk styling receives a great deal of praise within the reviews, and many critics have especially noted that overall, it's a lot of campy fun.
Though Close can never be replaced, Stone's performance appears to be winning critics over in a big way. Stone is an Oscar-winning actress known for her roles in La La Land and Easy A; there was still some wariness over her ability to play a larger than life, over the top Disney villain. Luckily, it sounds like she's pulled it off to great success. Additionally, Thompson has received plenty of praise for her turn as Estella's own nemesis the Baroness. Their rivalry was compared to The Devil Wears Prada multiple times, perhaps indicating what audiences should expect. Cruella has been a bit controversial online in the lead-up to its release, but according to the critics, it has a lot to love.
Source: Various (see above)
