Cruella

At the Cinema and Disney+ Premier Access.

Directed by Craig Gillespie we get all the Emma’s as Stone and Thompson star in this live action “origins” story of 101 Dalmatians villian Cruella De Vil. Stone is Estella, who we first see as a young girl who “attracts” trouble. When she loses her Mum she finds herself in London lost and alone. It’s there she runs into Jasper (Joel Fry) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser) who grow into a mini crime family. She then gets the chance to work for Thompson’s Duchess, a world renowned fashion designer and Estella’s hero. But when she diacovers Duchesses background she builds a plan to take her empire and all she holds dear.

I didn’t go into this with any expectations and what a fabulous and unexpected joy it was. It’s as though Disney watched The Joker and thought Cruella needs that treatment!

The film has a fantastic energy, with a great feel and sense of 70’s London through its costumes and brilliant soundtrack, up there with Baby Driver for a score that sets a tone. Its plot leans heavily on smart heist films with its intricacies and misdirection and of course you can’t escape a Devil wears Prada vibe.

While the film takes a little time to warm up, once it does it is great fun. It has a surprising dark side. We have no hero character to get behind but rather two deliciously bad female leads. Thompson is fantastic as the Duchess but Stone goes toe to toe with her first as the driven and smart Estella, before her crackingly bad Cruella takes over.

Alongside the two leads, Joel Fry, Mark Strong (John the valet) and John Mcrea (Artie) particularly deliver great support.

Cruella is a fabulous treat, a proper surprising gem with two wonderful leads, a surprisingly dark look and feel, smart script, great soundtrack and wonderful energy and is one of my favourite films of the year so far. The only word of caution, if you’re thinking of cuddly Dalmatians and Disney fluff for the kids, this isn’t that film.