Disney's Cruella (Live-Action)

Features, Shorts, Live-Action and Direct-To-Video
Post Reply
AV Forum Member
AV Forum Member
Posts: 9996
Joined: September 1st, 2006

Re: Disney's Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by Daniel » May 24th, 2021, 4:27 pm

Lyric video for "Call Me Cruella":



A tad on the short side, but I love it! Real nice vibe.

User avatar
AV Founder
AV Founder
Posts: 25294
Joined: October 22nd, 2004
Location: London, UK

Re: Disney's Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by Ben » May 24th, 2021, 8:56 pm

And just what was wrong with Mel Leven's original? Sure, do it up in the ultra depressing gloss of "deep" modern pop, but don’t do something that’s so close but isn’t anywhere as good!

Oh...right before the release and here’s the first thing that’s dented my otherwise insane excitement for this film (although I’m already wary about how this all fits in with the Cruella from the books)...

AV Forum Member
AV Forum Member
Posts: 5192
Joined: September 27th, 2007

Re: Disney's Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by EricJ » May 25th, 2021, 10:06 am

Ben wrote:
May 24th, 2021, 8:56 pm
(although I’m already wary about how this all fits in with the Cruella from the books)...
About as much as "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" fits in with the original Perrault "Sleeping Beauty" fairytale... :roll:

User avatar
AV Founder
AV Founder
Posts: 25294
Joined: October 22nd, 2004
Location: London, UK

Re: Disney's Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by Ben » May 25th, 2021, 10:18 am

I think you must mean the original? MOE was a sequel to everything, and very good it was too.

AV Forum Member
AV Forum Member
Posts: 9996
Joined: September 1st, 2006

Re: Disney's Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by Daniel » May 25th, 2021, 2:34 pm

I'm surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did.

Anyhoo, a new clip:



The Queen song in the background fits perfectly. Love the similarities with the cartoon Cruella.

AV Team
AV Team
Posts: 6634
Joined: February 8th, 2005
Location: The US of A

Re: Disney's Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by Dacey » May 25th, 2021, 3:09 pm

I’ve been curious about Ben’s thoughts on MOE given how much he liked the first film. A wonderfully bonkers sequel!
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift--that is why it's called the present."

AV Forum Member
AV Forum Member
Posts: 9996
Joined: September 1st, 2006

Re: Disney's Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by Daniel » May 25th, 2021, 3:25 pm

He shared some thoughts in the past. Here and here. Title is so campy he called it out twice! ;)

AV Team
AV Team
Posts: 6634
Joined: February 8th, 2005
Location: The US of A

Re: Disney's Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by Dacey » May 25th, 2021, 3:30 pm

Daniel is our forum’s unofficial Wikipedia. :wink: :)
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift--that is why it's called the present."

AV Forum Member
AV Forum Member
Posts: 9996
Joined: September 1st, 2006

Re: Disney's Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by Daniel » May 25th, 2021, 3:34 pm

Sho' 'nuff! ;)

User avatar
AV Founder
AV Founder
Posts: 25294
Joined: October 22nd, 2004
Location: London, UK

Re: Disney's Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by Ben » May 25th, 2021, 4:36 pm

:D

AV Forum Member
AV Forum Member
Posts: 9996
Joined: September 1st, 2006

Re: Disney's Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by Daniel » May 27th, 2021, 2:41 pm

Tomorrows the big day! Currently 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. If things were different, I probably would go see it. Not bothering with Premier Access, though. No real incentive when I know it will be free in a matter of weeks. (August 27, supposedly) Still, hopefully the film does good. I'm predicting a $25 million opening.

AV Forum Member
AV Forum Member
Posts: 5192
Joined: September 27th, 2007

Re: Disney's Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by EricJ » May 27th, 2021, 6:17 pm

Daniel wrote:
May 25th, 2021, 3:34 pm
Sho' 'nuff! ;)
Is he the baddest?
Is he the prettiest?

User avatar
AV Founder
AV Founder
Posts: 25294
Joined: October 22nd, 2004
Location: London, UK

Re: Disney's Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by Ben » May 27th, 2021, 6:49 pm

Well, he *may* be the meanest...

AV Forum Member
AV Forum Member
Posts: 9996
Joined: September 1st, 2006

Re: Disney's Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by Daniel » June 4th, 2021, 11:35 pm

Sequel in early development. Cruella 2: Road to Dalmatian. 8)

User avatar
AV Founder
AV Founder
Posts: 25294
Joined: October 22nd, 2004
Location: London, UK

Re: Disney's Cruella (Live-Action)

Post by Ben » June 5th, 2021, 8:53 pm

Well this was BONKERS! And almost nearly quite brilliant.

Lots to take in, and it’s not always successful, especially on the soundtrack, which has some killer tracks but somehow doesn’t always quite connect with the visuals, but there is the occasional flash of greatness in here, possibly my favourite live-action redo after Dumbo and Maleficent.

Further to my earlier pickup, Emma Thompson really is Lady Holiday, channeling Diana Rigg and almost getting one of her lines from Muppet Capet at one point. Stone is great too, and a large part of why all this crazy, over the top nonsense is also somehow grounded and works at all. When everything is breaking loose but there still needs to be an emotional core, she brings it to a place where one can believe in what’s happening and being conveyed, even when it’s completely nuts.

Anita and Roger are very much loose ends and don’t really resonate — better to leave them for any follow ups — but the whole dynamic with Jasper and Horace works and, even if it’s not always true to the background in the book(s), it ultimately gets to the same place, although a couple of really obvious setups don’t always play out as one might expect and there was at least one twist that was well done.

VFX wise, the CG animals are fairly obvious, although there’s some good mixing between real and fake, albeit making it kind of more obvious when CG dogs moves slightly unnaturally at times.

Otherwise, the 70s London often felt quite real and very nicely realised, except for some road markings which would have been different or not even there back then (a shame, when they went to lengths to get the cars, traffic, traffic signals, buildings, the Thames, etc, true to the period), but it’s largely authentic feeling.

I’m not sure there was enough "fun" here, though. It’s all flamboyant and arch and theatrical, but it’s also quite dark and "adult", with some moments and themes quite "out there" and justifying the PG-13 rating, it also felt, at almost two and a quarter hours, overlong, at least by 15-20 minutes, if not a full half hour. Once Estella succumbs to the lure of Cruella's stronger appeal, the film gets a bit start-stoppy, and a couple of almost repeated beats feel like it bogs things down a bit before the final denouement.

Cruella has some terrific things going on, as hoped, at not the least of them is Stone really inhabiting the role with relish, and it’s overall hugely entertaining, but I’m just not sure how much I actually *enjoyed* it. I liked — and loved — many elements, but they perhaps don't always make up a greater whole.

One could say it’s a little spotty, but that might be a bit too obvious. Nevertheless, all innocent children (and a few adults!) had better beware... ;)

Post Reply