Brief Story Line
Estella Walters (Emma Stone - La La Land, The Amazing Spider-man etc) was an aspiring fashion designer who has had a tough life since childhood. She had to live with a couple of thieves named Jasper (Joel Fry - Love Wedding Repeat etc) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser - Richard Jewell etc) from their young age, until Estella got a job that she thought could propel her career in the fashion industry.
When the very famous owner of London fashion house named Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson - Last Christmas, Johnny English Strikes Again etc) somehow noticed Estella's potential, she was finally able to start living her dream. But Baroness who was a very authoritative figure was a very difficult person to please and she only trusted John (Mark Strong - Shazam!, The Imitation Game etc). Unfortunately for Estella, things did not go as per plan and she decided to take matters in her own hands.
So how would the story conclude? Find them all in this wonderful movie from Disney.
End of Brief Story Line
I have heard that this movie aside from being successful commercially, was also well received by critics. Sadly though, I did not get the chance to see it while it played in theaters few months ago due to the pandemic. Since I was highly anticipating this film, it was such a wonderful feeling that the movie really meet up to my expectations. From the start, I was really fascinated by the story telling which flowed nicely. I liked the character Estella from her childhood until her adult age. Emma Stone's characterization as Estella was just great. But not till she finally became Cruella that we could see her amazing acting skills.
Now if you thought that Emma Stone was already captivating, wait till you see Emma Thompson. My goodness she was so perfect as this totally authoritative and powerful figure feared by everyone. It was so remarkable seeing her in this role which was created specifically for this movie. She looked so natural and I could really felt her scary cold stare or sharp comments (that scene involving 2 guys in her office was fun to watch). So you could imagine how awesome it was when these 2 Emmas were in the same scene. Apart from the 2 main female leads, I also like the characters of Jasper and Horace who provided hilarious moments. There were few other people appearing in support roles, such as Emily Beecham (Little Joe, Into the Badlands TV series etc) as Estella's mother Catherine Miller, Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Why Women Kill TV series etc) as Anita the reporter and John McCrea as Artie the vintage clothing shop owner. They were quite essential to the story development.
I am not a person who knew or am interested in fashion, but this movie somehow managed to make it felt glamorous and exciting, especially when there was vicious competition involved. I could understand why critics also praised the production value of this movie. It was filled with beautifully created 1970s London settings, and the costume and make up department did great job. Let's not forget also the visual effects department and those animal trainers team who made sure the dogs were well taken care of and looked good in their part. The movie was directed by Craig Gillespie (his previous works included Fright Night, The Finest Hours and most recently I, Tonya).
Btw, if you have not seen the 1996 version 101 Dalmations where Cruella was portrayed by Glenn Close, I would recommend that you watch it first before seeing this movie. It would give a better perspective/context of things or people appearing in this prequel as there were quite a number of them which referred to that movie. I personally would not recommend to watch 102 Dalmations as it was just not a good sequel. Oh both those movies plus the 1961 animated movie are all available on Disney+, so you could watch all three of them if you want to. This reboot and all the previous movies were based on the 1956 children's novel titled The One Hundred and One Dalmations written by Dodie Smith.
Overall, this was a totally entertaining movie, filled with brilliant acting from its 2 female leads, some funny scenes involving dogs, many nice songs and even a heist. It is a film that was just fabulous, something that made us appreciate/understand why some persons could become villains (just like another Disney's movie Maleficent). It is a very enjoyable movie that would make 2+ hours did not feel too long. The ending also hinted at possible sequel, which by the time I wrote the post looked like a sure thing. Oh, there was a mid end credit scene that was too good to miss. So if you love Disney's movies having their best qualities, then this would surely entertain you. I could not wait till my wife watch this film which I am sure she would love.
Mike's movie moments rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Notes:
There are various extras related to the movie that were added in Disney+ such as Deleted Scenes, Bloopers, Cruella 101 and few others that would make our experience complete. It was kind of having your own DVD box set.
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