First Take: Cruella - the blockbusters are coming back to where they belong

SYNOPSIS: A live-action prequel to 101 Dalmatians, following a young Cruella de Vil.

Disney have, well, a bit of a fetish for the live action reboot/remake nowadays. The Jungle Book, Lion King, Aladdin are just a few of the classics which have gone down the CG road in recent years, and now they’re finally turning to (semi) original ideas. With the obligatory prequel, some elements work very well, and other elements need some refining.

It’s directed by Craig Gillespie, who was last seen in charge of 2018′s Screen Unseen favourite I, Tonya - and he does a great job on a major blockbuster of this scale, sadly the script from Dana Fox and Tony McNamara doesn’t quite hit the high expectations of a Disney release. I’d go as far as to say that McNamara’s contributions helped the film, but with a 2 hour 14 minute runtime, elements could have been cut down to bring it under 2 hours. On cinematography duties is Nicolas Karakatsanis, and Nicholas Britell nails it on scoring duties, creating a soundscape befitting of 1970s punk era London.

On to the cast, and when news of this role broke, everyone was questioning it - but Emma Stone is able to make the Cruella character come alive for a new generation. Joining her is Emma Thompson, as the villain of the piece (and a talent who ensures the projects she works on meet a high standard), alongside a supporting cast which includes the voice of last March’s Covid adverts here in the UK (the one and only) Mark Strong, Paul Walter Houser, Joel Fry, Kayvan Novak, Kirby Howell-Baptiste and many others. But where this film really excels is in its targeting. Disney historically make these films for the PG certificate, but in a break from tradition, this (rightly) got a 12a from the BBFC. It is a much darker version of the character, and this higher certificate really lets it come alive.

THE VERDICT

At points, Cruella feels a bit like when my beloved Sale Sharks play - there are some really good moments at times, but the discipline (or script in the film’s case) gets in the way of a perfect experience. It uses that 12 certificate to its advantage, and it’s a great alternative for those who aren’t into that certain rabbit who is taking over every screen.

RATING: 4/5