Netflix's Army Of The Dead Satisfies Visually But Is Bogged Down By Its Excessive Running Time

    When looking at popular genres, one of the most successful ones that audiences find themselves reverting back to with generally successful results are that of the Zombie genre. Zombie films have proven to be a strong sale with a prime example being George A. Romero's 1974 classic Dawn Of The Dead, later redone with its surprisingly strong 2004 remake from first-time director Zack Snyder. The latter's stature in film has risen since then with him being acclaimed as a visionary filmmaker despite his movies being considered polarizing in regards to their critical reception. With Netflix's Army Of The Dead, the hope one has going into it is that Snyder will make a triumphant return to the Zombie genre with him producing either something similar to or an undisclosed follow-up to Dawn Of The Dead. Neither appears to be the case here as Snyder gives audiences a completely different Zombie story involving a Las Vegas Casino heist that's visually appealing, but is unfortunately nowhere near the caliber of his first directorial work.

      Returning to the genre that made him famous, Zack Snyder's Army Of The Dead finds itself focusing on the founder of a mercenary strike force (Dave Bautista) traveling to a quarantined Las Vegas with his team to fight zombies and steal cash from a defunct casino. Given the opportunity that both Snyder and the filmmakers had to present another viscerally thrilling Zombie apocalypse story, the end result feels like a tremendous disappointment. Army Of The Dead finds itself being the victim of an excessive running time and an uneven narrative, that often makes it feel like a missed opportunity to make something more exciting and frightening. The film is ambitious in what it wants to achieve, along with feeling over-the-top like Dawn Of The Dead but the story suffers from carrying a bloated length, as well as numerous plot holes and questionable character traits. Considering that one of the best modern horror remakes came from Snyder, it's profoundly disappointing to see how Army Of The Dead misfires in wanting to give audiences a new zombie tale that's both intense as well as providing solid popcorn entertainment. Despite serving as being an average to mildly entertaining effort, Army Of The Dead ultimately collapses under its own ambitions along with greatly boring audiences due to its length.

      Whereas the film struggles in regards to story, its main cast proves to be a terrific ensemble led by the talented Dave Bautista. Bautista has been impressing audiences with his desire to become a stronger actor with him delivering solid work here as former mercenary Scott Ward. Bautista shows himself to be an appealing main lead with him effectively showing the grief his character carries after being forced to kill his wife turned zombie. Ella Purnell does well in her role as Bautista's estranged daughter Kate with their family conflict feeling believable to audiences. With her performance, the audience gets the sense of her characters frustration, anger, and hurt over her fathers actions in regards to protecting them from their wife/mother. The rest of the cast give fun performances to watch with Omari Hardwick and Ana de la Reguera as Ward's former teammates Vanderohe and Maria Cruz, Theo Rossi as camp security guard enlisted by Lily Burt Cummings, Matthias Schweighofer as German safecracker Ludwig Dieter, Nora Arnezeder as smuggler Lily, Hiroyuki Sanada as Bly Tanaka, Tig Notaro as Ward's helicopter pilot Marianne Peters, Raul Castillo as Chicano Sharpshooter Mikey Guzman, Huma Qureshi as Kate's friend Geeta, Garret Dillahunt as Martin, and Samantha Win as Mikey's associate Chambers. Whereas the film massively disappoints in the direction it takes its story, the cast comes to work and delivers performances that add to the mild entertainment value the  film has to offer.

      With Zack Snyder helming the story, audiences can expect to be treated to an opulent visual style that makes his universes appear to be richly dazzling in terms of scenery. His latest effort proves to be no exception with Zack personalizing the films look with shooting Army on an old yet fast Rangefinder (The Dream Lens), giving it a nightmarish type feel to it. The directors use of slow-motion shots is on full display here with the films opening credits sequence running several minutes in length, leaving no question that it'll appease Die Hard fans of both Snyder and the Zombie genre. The films make up effects and costume designs are top-notch with the new breed of zombies having a distinct look to them, which differentiates from previous ones shown before. These Zombies look creepy and are more over-the-top than what audiences saw previously in Snyder's Dawn Of The Dead, with the film also including different forms of zombies never shown before such as Valentine the zombie tiger and the inclusion of zombie robots (Yes, that is correct). Whereas the visual look of Army Of The Dead is on point, the films pacing is uneven with the first two acts being devoted to excessive character development before switching to non-stop action in its third act. The soundtrack by Tom Holkenborg proves effective in helping the film find the right tone with its opening song by Elvis: "Viva Las Vegas", feeling appropriate given the extreme nature of the story. For audiences familiar with Snyder's directorial style, they're aware that the filmmaker is no stranger when it comes to establishing fantastic set-pieces, stunning cinematography, and stylish action with a cleverly assembled soundtrack to up the excitement of the story. On this level, the film doesn't disappoint and gives audiences what they want in terms of visual eye-candy.  

      Co-Written by Shay Hatten, Joby Harold, and Snyder with the latter also sharing story credit, Army Of The Dead is an explosive zombie flick that's full of surprise twists regarding both its plot and characters while taking major inspiration from work such as 1986's Aliens. The script consists of bold concepts and themes including diversity, women in cabinet roles, war, power over others, disaster, nuclear attack, sacrifice, survival, fear, anger, crime, and grief. On the surface, the script has much going on with it desiring to add a significant amount of depth to its characters. The audience is treated to a conflict revolving around Ward and his daughter Kate that's intended to make audiences become invested in their arc, yet somehow falls short of carrying the desired effect. The film has numerous character subplots that feel lifted from other movies with the character of Geeta bearing a strong resemble to the character of Vasquez (Jeanette Goldstein) from Aliens, another film that dealt with a group facing off against a horse of dangerous inhuman opponents. The character of Geeta also goes as far as rocking a bandanna that's almost identical to the one worn by Vasquez in the 1986 classic. The betrayal of Martin also feels like a copycat version of the character of Burke turning on Ripley in that film. The script makes no hesitation in throwing unusual twists at audiences such as the main antagonist having a Zombie tiger names Valentine, that screams comparisons to King Ezekiel's pet tiger, Shiva from The Walking Dead, along with the bizarre revealing of zombie robots. One of the films big revelations is the reveal of Zombies being able to procreate with the films main antagonist (The Zombie King) pulling the baby out of the queen without the need of a human host. Overall, the script for Army Of The Dead finds itself taking weird detours with its story, along with going out of its way to flesh out its main group of characters. It isn't however, isn't devoid of plot holes or questionable character logic such as a sequence involving one main character attempting to escape being surrounded by a horde of zombies with the other human character watching in horror a few feet away without attempting to gun down some of the zombies, clearing a pathway for them.  Other weird moments in the script involve a cleverly twisted sequence involving a military transport colliding with a pair of newlyweds, unleashing Patient Zero that started the zombie apocalypse. As a whole, the screenplay feels like a mixed bag with its plot having the potential to be a thrilling Zombie flick, but ultimately feels too slow and boring for audiences to become engaged in its story the way they did with Snyder's tremendously effective Dawn Of The Dead remake. 

     Snyder's Army Of The Dead is a zombie flick that had tremendous potential to be the successor to Dead which audiences envisioned it to be with the directors trademark style being present. It's disappointing however, to see the direction that both Snyder and the writing team go, which is the complete opposite of that film. The film contains much of what Snyder fans love about the filmmaker, yet leaves them dry in terms of providing suspense that's rapid. Although it can't be denied that the film is ambitious in what it sets out to do with giving audiences a thrillingly good time, the end result is far too long and bloated for it to work to its maximum effect. Dawn Of The Dead worked as well as it did because it kept things straight-forward and basic while giving audiences the goods in terms of showing gruesome zombies with human characters, who carried just enough development for audiences to connect with. Army Of The Dead's character development is too disproportionate in comparison that it ends up bogging the story down more than helping it. As a filmmaker, Zack Snyder has established himself as being something of a yo-yo in which he can churn out a film that's equally consistent in both visuals and storytelling while also producing work that's vice versa. To the most ardent fans of Zack Snyder, Army Of The Dead will please their desire for more of the directors work, although he won't win over any newer fans with his attempt to be bold here. As a Zombie story that's meant to be a "spiritual sequel" to Dawn, the film is a huge letdown with fans of the genre deserving better.

Final Verdict: Unless one is a fan of Zack Snyder's work and content with the films choice of an unusual running time, Army Of The Dead will prove to be a tremendous disappointment with one questioning the films unnecessary length .

Images courtesy of Netflix

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It Proves The Third Scare Is Not As Frightening

      When it comes to horror movie franchises, the latter can prove to be challenging in maintaining consistency with the series overall quality. Most horror sequels end up falling short of their predecessors with most cases generally having their franchises wearing out by the third film. That unfortunately appears to be the case with The Conjuring franchise, given that the first two films turn out to be far superior to the third (And hopefully final) entry in the series: The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. Replacing James Wan in the directors chair is Michael Chaves, who previously helmed the forgettable spin-off of the series: The Curse Of La Lorna, the Conjuring franchise resurrects after a four year hiatus from the big screen to profoundly disappointing results. Despite the series original stars returning (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) and giving strong performances, the third installment of the Conjuring series ends up being the weakest installment with fans sorely missing James Wan in the directors chair as his steady hand of building up solid suspense, along with crafting decent jump scares is largely devoid here. 

   Continuing the series from where it left off previously with The Conjuring 2, The Devil Made Me Do It centers its premise around the Warren couple (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) finding themselves investigating a murder case with a possible link to demonic possession. Like the first two Conjuring stories, the plot for The Devil Made Me Do It is based upon an actual murder trial with the case itself being given the Hollywood treatment in terms of being overly dramatized in a style similar to 2005's effective paranormal horror flick: The Exorcism Of Emily Rose. The Devil Made Me Do It strives to do its own thing while desiring to be as effective as its predecessors in terms of both storytelling, as well as providing legitimate scares. Despite its efforts, the newest entry doesn't appear to be as well-crafted and gleefully creepy as the first two Wan directed installments. What made those films stand out in the minds of audiences was how well-executed they came across with both films stacking the level of dread with a series of effective old-school scares, that proved to be enormously effective. Although The Conjuring 2 lost some of the original films creepiness due to its scenario feeling a bit repetitive, it still got close enough to its counterpart to rank as being an above average sequel. The Devil Made Me Do It, unfortunately, loses much of the suspense and surprise that the first two films provided audiences with Wan's absence in the directors chair being felt here. Rather than capping off what's become one of the better quality franchises in modern horror filmmaking with its success spawning numerous spin-off stories including the Annabelle series, The Nun, and The Curse Of La Lorna (The latter would best be forgotten by everyone), the Conjuring trilogy finds itself potentially ending with a whimper as the final chapter disappoints on nearly every level in comparison to the previous films with the exception of the main stars performances.

      When it comes to horror-based stories revolving around exorcism or paranormal activities, their believability hinges on the strength of the main actors performances. The Conjuring series has established itself as being a rare one in the genre that audiences can turn to for performances that enhance the stories realism. With Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, the series has a pair of reliable actors who bring a lot of intensity to the table in regards to selling the plot to audiences along with making their characters appealing. Both stars do fantastic in their roles as paranormal investigators and married couple Ed and Lorraine Warren, with the audience becoming fully invested in their characters marriage/experiences involving the supernatural. Regardless of the films quality, both actors come to work and deliver the same enthusiasm for playing their characters that was present in the Wan directed films. The rest of the supporting cast include Ruairi O' Connor as 19-year old Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who gets charged with murder after fatally stabbing his landlord 22 times and claiming demonic possession, Sarah Catherine Hook as Arne's girlfriend Debbie Glatzel, Julian Hilliard as her possessed younger brother David, John Noble as Father Master, Eugenie Bondurant as The Occultist, Shannon Kook as Drew Thomas, and Ronnie Gene Blevins. As a whole, the performances from the cast are convincing with them adding much to the tension unfolding regarding the films plot.

      The directing by Michael Chaves stands as being one of the key areas that holds the film back from being as strong as its predecessors. Despite the films attempts to be louder than its predecessors in regards to the terror unfolding, the mood and atmosphere aren't as well-detailed or intimately scary. The first two worked so well because Wan gave them a classic haunted house vibe, while steadily building up the suspense in the story along with largely refraining from using any excessive  amount of gore. In addition, he also gave the films a documentary style feel to them that enhanced their authenticity. That sense of realism appears to be absent here as well as Wans careful use of sound and space to generate effective creepy moments. Besides some decent cinematography and a steady pace, the newest entry in the Conjuring series plays out more like an episode of an old detective show that lacks the kinetic scares of the previous films. The film also appears to be light in the creativity department with Chaves appearing to not be as crafty as Wan when it comes to generating scares. Here, he serves up typical generic horror stuff including the use of contorting bodies along with the adding of clicking noises, things charging at the camera, and typical jump scares which mostly consist of "boo!" moments. Although the film carries an overall look and mood that feels creepy, it lacks the distinct methods that Wan took in making his films so effective in terrifying audiences.

      The screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick from a story by Johnson- McGoldrick and James Wan abandons the previous films Amityville style story and settles for one revolving around detective work and rushing to prove ones innocence, rather than it being one structured around Exorcism. The one aspect of the story that remains strong is the relationship between the Warrens with Lorraine's character taking a more central lead in the story with Ed taking a backseat. Some of the themes carried over from the previous films to now include demonic possession, the performing of exorcisms, murder, curses, satanic rituals, cults, obsession, and faith. While the new film maintains these themes, it takes a different beat in regards to its story that ultimately makes it feel off in comparison to what the franchise has been about previously, which is exploring the paranormal. With the first two Conjuring films, the audience got the sense of what was possible with both stories opening the door for the events happening in them being legitimately terrifying. The Devil Made Me Do It would've worked much more effectively as being a courtroom drama with flashbacks to emphasize the supernatural occurrence surrounding the murder trial, rather than the route taken here by the filmmakers.

      It's hard to watch the newest film in the series and not imagine what the outcome would've looked like had Wan been more involved with the films production rather than just co-write the story. It's apparent upon watching the film that this is going to be the chapter that divides fans of the Conjuring series as it's simply not as good as the ones that came before it. The film essentially lacks the powerful stamp of the franchises previous filmmaker, with the story not connecting as well ultimately. Despite being a tremendous step down from the first two films, The Devil Made Me Do It is somewhat watchable thanks to the strong performances of Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Despite the boldness that Chaves demonstrates in taking the story in a newer direction than what's been shown before, one is left hoping that this is the final installment of the Conjuring trilogy, especially if Wan is no longer going to be involved with the franchise in a higher capacity. For those who greatly enjoyed the prior Conjuring films, The Devil Made Me Do It proves to be a massive disappointment which lacks some of the key ingredients of the previous films that made them so memorable to horror fans. For them, they're better off rewatching those films as the experience will be much more rewarding than what's shown here. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It has noble intentions of wanting to be as scary and thrilling as its predecessors, but ultimately shows that some franchises should rightfully be put to bed especially if they lose the edge and feeling of authenticity that made them so endearing to horror fans.

 

Final Verdict: Those who enjoy the James Wan directed Conjuring films will find The Devil Made Me Do It to be hugely disappointing in comparison with the series being shown to lose its touch in terms of cleverly terrifying audiences.

Images Courtesy of Warner Brothers

A Quiet Place Part ll Recaptures Much Of The Originals Silent Thrills

      Horror sequels can often be extremely difficult to make given that they face an incredibly daunting task of having to make lightning strike twice in terms of replicating the success of their predecessors. Besides a few exceptions where horror sequels come close to achieving such a feat with examples like Scream 2, Conjuring 2, and Halloween 2018 for example, most sequels to well-established horror movies end up paling in comparison both financially and critically. With A Quiet Place Part ll, director John Krasinski aims to buck the trend and produce a high quality sequel, that lives up to the standard set by its predecessor. Released in 2018, the original A Quiet Place was a surprise critical and box office hit that's rarely seen before in the horror genre. It wasn't long after the first film premiered that a sequel would be greenlit with Krasinski once again helming the story despite being initially reluctant to do so. Originally scheduled to be released in March 2020, the film experienced numerous delays due to the emergence of Covid-19 with the film finally landing in theaters a just over a year later. With both Emily Blunt and John Krasinski returning to the sequel along with Cillian Murphy being the newest addition to the cast, the story for A Quiet Place Part ll picks up where the first film ended and effectively continues the mystery, suspense, and terror that was masterfully established by its predecessor. For all its efforts, the sequel does a damn fine job of extending the storyline of the original without it losing much of that films scares or heart. The end result is a tense nerve-wracking experience which stands as being one of the rare horror sequels, that effectively expands on the terrifying world introduced by its predecessor three years prior.

      Continuing from where the first film left off, the plot for A Quiet Place Part ll focuses on the surviving members of the Abbott family (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe) with them continuing to search for other survivors in an alien-ridden world. Along with looking for the weapon that will finally destroy them, they attempt to avoid making any sound that will attract the predatory creatures. What the plot for A Quiet Place Part ll does a stellar job at is connecting both films stories together with them being one long and terrifying survival story set in a post-apocalyptic future that's devoid of sound. One of the key elements that made the first Quiet Place work so well, was the level of creativity that went into making its plot. Although the concept of aliens trying to take over the world has been recycled numerous times, the way that Krasinski writes and films the story feel like a welcomed breath of fresh air for audiences. It was the surprise element of the plot, as well as the fear of the unknown that made it work as effectively as it ultimately ended up being. With the sequel, Krasinski attempts to bring back much of the feeling of suspense that audiences had in not knowing what comes next and although he doesn't fully achieve the same type of effect given that audiences now have seen the creatures, it comes extraordinarily close. A Quiet Place Part ll is a sequel that carefully tries to share the same platform as the first, while not abandoning any the essential ingredients that made the series a hit with horror fans. Of these elements, the most important one that makes the sequel work is that it has a tremendous amount of heart with one still finding themselves caring for the characters on screen. Unlike most horror sequels, A Quiet Place Part ll is a rare exception in which it walks a familiar beat to the first with it feeling like a necessary expansion of the story, that makes sense rather than being a pointless retread. Although it doesn't top the first film, the sequel comes very close and relies on carefully staged thrills to make up for the lack of mystery surrounding the creatures now that their true origins have been revealed.

      As far as acting goes, the performances in A Quiet Place Part ll once again are phenomenal with both Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy delivering intense work here while showcasing the appropriate amounts of emotion their roles call for. One of the key things that made the first Quiet Place so effective, was the believability of the scenario being presented with the casts performances being undeniably convincing. The same is said here with Emily giving a strong presence with reprising her role as Evelyn Abbot, widow of Lee (John Karasinski) whose determined to find a new role for her children. Blunt flawlessly conveys her characters fears and emotions on screen with her attempting to stay strong for her children, though is fearful of their safety along with grieving over the loss of her husband from the events of the first film. Although audiences naturally find themselves missing John Krasinski's character throughout the film despite his clever yet brief inclusion in the story, Cillian Murphy proves to be a worthy replacement in the male lead as Lee's old friend Emmet, who is now a hardened, reclusive survivor after witnessing both his wife and children killed by aliens. Murphy brilliantly conveys with his characters performance the mistrust, paranoia, pain, and loss of hope that he ultimately experiences until he is presented with hope again through the character of Regan. Millicent Simmond's continues to impress as Evelyn's deaf daughter Regan with her character receiving a more significant role this time. Simmond's conveys her character being forced to become more of an adult in comparison to the first film in a form, that feels natural as well as believable. Noah Jupe also continues to do well with playing Evelyn's son Marcus with John Krasinski's brief appearance in the film via flashback being a welcomed one. The rest of the supporting cast turn in notably effective performances with Djimon Hounsou being effective as the leader of small island colony of survivors. Overall, the acting in A Quiet Place Part ll is stellar and goes a long way with enhancing the realism of the story as well as allowing it to hit home. The cast does a great job of making people become connected with the story and characters in both films. 

      Returning to the directors chair once again, Krasinski does so with him bringing his A game to the sequel. He maintains the same atmosphere and tone that the previous film carried, while expanding on the scope of the story. One of the films most thrilling sequences is its opening flashback showing how the events of the first Quiet Place started with the scene itself having a masterful buildup of suspense, along with it being well-executed. Krasinski keeps the film fast-paced with a brisk running time of 97 minutes. The film is shot with stunning cinematography, which gives the story a Steven Spielberg feel to it that draws comparisons to War Of The Worlds. The lighting makes use of the colors surrounding the actors, particularly in scenes involving the use of firelight, candlelight, moonlight, and the ambient night. The films visual and sound effects serve as being key technical elements in the story, which work exceptionally well with the aliens carrying a terrifying presence that looks real with sound effects greatly enhancing the stories terror. The music by Marco Beltrami proves effective in enhancing the emotional core of the story along with driving up its tension. Beltrami repeats some of the originals key themes which emphasize the family aspect of the story with it working terrifically. With A Quiet Place Part ll, Krasinski expands the scope while keeping the story a personal arc focused on one families struggle to survive. He doesn't lose sight of the key elements that made the first film work so effectively, and succeeds in taking things up a notch in terms of both scares and suspense. Despite the sequel losing some of the suspense regarding the mystery of what happened to the world in the first Quiet Place, it does a smart job of compensating for the lack of surprise with adding more jump scares and sequences that are effectively terrifying.

      In addition to the films masterful directing, the writing by Krasinski is strong with the story remaining on point in terms of connecting with the original. The sequel continues many of the themes introduced in the first film such as family, determination, the need for necessities, responsibility, protection, sacrifice, survival, courage, and taking risks with characters such as Regan and Marcus receiving significantly larger roles this time with Evelyn becoming a more stronger force in her efforts to protect her family. The script wonderfully taps into her characters fear of her children's safety, while also showing the pain and grief that Evelyn feels towards losing her husband at the end of the first film. Regan's character's transformation from vulnerable child to an adult leading the way in her families situation, is a fitting arc for her that wonderfully bridges both movies together. The inclusion of Cillian Murphy's character in the story with him replacing Krasinski as the films central male character is cleverly incorporated into the story in a way which doesn't feel forced, but is naturally weaved into the story. The smartest decision that the writers made with his character is giving him his own backstory that allows audiences to become invested with him, along with his character shown to be connected with Evelyn's family prior to the events of the first film. The most interesting angle that Krasinski takes with his character arc is not presenting him as being a generic love interest to Evelyn, but showing him to be his own person as well as a friend of the family, who experienced his own form of loss during the alien invasion with him losing all hope in humanity before gaining some of it back through his ordeal with Regan. Though audiences may still find themselves missing Krasinski's presence in the film, they'll come to find that Emmet is a solid substitute whose presented with more substance than just being a throwaway character. Each character is fleshed out and has their own personal arc that plays out over the course of the film. The films action and scare set-pieces are carefully placed throughout the story to steadily build up the intensity of the characters situation. The script for A Quiet Place Part ll does a fantastic job of feeling like a true continuation of the story with it expanding on the themes introduced in the first film. With the follow-up, Krasinski takes both the world and characters already established and advances them while further widening the scope of the story along with pumping up the volume with the stories action.

      Given that most horror sequels end up falling significantly short of their predecessors in terms of quality with only a handful being reasonably decent, the feat that both Krasinski and the filmmakers manage to pull off here is one that should be celebrated. The sequel never manages to be better than the first, but it comes awfully close in doing so. Although the mystery behind the creature-ridden world is gone, the stakes that the main characters face as well as the stories drama remain just as high. A Quiet Place Part ll might've lost some of the quiet suspense of the first movie, but it more than compensates with its stacking of thrills. Considering how much of a decline the follow-up could've experienced in regards to overall quality, fans of the first Quiet Place should appreciate the surprising level of quality that the sequel presents itself as having. One sincerely hopes that the same amount of energy, dedication, and devotion that the creative behind the second film delivered goes into making a fitting conclusion to what's already become a game-changing horror franchise.

Final Verdict: For horror fans and those who enjoyed the previous film, A Quiet Place Part ll is a must watch. SEE IT

NOTE: This review and other blogs/articles revolving around the latest movie news and entertainment can also be read at https://www.watrcoolr.com/

Images Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Disney's Cruella Gives Fans A Delightfully Fun Yet Unneccessary Origin Story

  

      Even the most despised and notorious of classic cinematic villains have a history behind their wrongdoing, which can make them come across as being sympathetic to audiences. That certainly appears to be the case drawn with Disney's newest feature Cruella, the studio's latest attempt at presenting a live-action origin story/prequel behind the iconic villain from the 1961 Disney classic 101 Dalmatians, which was later transformed into a fairly decent live-action version released in 1996 starring Glenn Close in the main role. With Cruella, the film aspires to give audiences the backstory behind the infamous socialite who favored kidnapping as well as skinning puppies solely due to their fur selling well in the fashion industry. To audiences, Cruella De Vil is a despicable character who doesn't warrant any form of empathy mainly due to her desire to harm 99 puppies. The filmmakers behind the newest film aim to deliver a different perspective of the character, which makes her motives more understandable to fans of the series once they see her upbringing. Disney's Cruella presents itself as being a more hip and modernized version of the classic story despite its setting taking place in 1970's London. Replacing Glenn Close in the main role is Emma Stone with a performance that's both scene-stealing and ultimately worthy of carrying the mantle in terms of playing one of Disney's most formidable villains. Although the film struggles to answer the question of whether its main character needed an origin story told, Cruella manages to be a thoroughly fun experience that's well-crafted and carries a strong visual flare with much of the films excitement coming from the commanding performances of both Emma Stone and Emma Thompson. In an era that's dominated by a stream of live-action adaptations of classic Disney stories which have proven to be hit-and-misses, Cruella surprisingly proves to be more satisfying than most despite presenting its main character as being a little too sympathetic.

      Serving as a live-action prequel to 101 Dalmatians, the plot for Cruella focuses on a young aspiring fashion designer named Estella Miller with her exploring a path that will lead her to become the notorious fashion designer known as Cruella de Vil. The plot for Cruella draws comparisons to Todd Philip's Joker in the sense that the filmmakers attempt to provide its well-known figure with a backstory that shows who they were before ultimately turning into their villainous counterparts. In the case of Cruella, the film begins with Estella's birth and shows the family tragedy she witnessed as a child that shaped her into the person she later becomes, as well as fashioning her fixation on the Dalmatians. Not only does the story explore the backstory behind Cruella De Vil, but also that of her henchmen Jasper and Horace. The plot for Cruella aims to provide twists and turns to the original storyline with the script providing audiences with a deeper insight into De Vil's past, as well as the woman who inspired her persona, the Baroness played by Emma Thompson. The clash between the characters of De Vil and Baroness Von Hellman stand as being the films most thrilling scenes with their relationship serving as being the pulse of the story. It can also be said that in addition to the filmmakers taking the whole Joker approach with exploring the origins of De Vil, the film also attempts to duplicate the same formula that was utilized in Disney's Malificent which started Angelina Jolie. Cruella is a film that no one was asking for prior and feels very much like Disney's attempt to capitalize on the success of Todd Philip's Joker, but that isn't a condemnation of the films overall quality. Despite audiences questioning whether we really needed a prequel story behind 101 Dalmations, its quality makes it stand as being a charmingly solid film on its own right without it doing a disservice to the classic animated films storyline it boldly expands. 

      Outside of the films stunning costume design and set decoration, one of the main elements that makes it work as well as it does are the top notch performances of its main cast who bring a welcomed sense of energy and enthusiasm in bringing this story to life. The best work comes from Emma Stone and Emma Thompson with both delivering near flawless performances in addition to working brilliantly off each other. Stone shows audiences that she's perfectly cast in the role of Estella with her brilliantly playing an ambitious grifter with her slow transformation into Cruella being absolutely convincing, along with keeping the audience in suspense as she begins to show glimpses of the dangerous obsessed criminal fans know Estella to later become.  She doesn't just portray De Vil as being the cold-hearted and selfish socialite that Disney fans know her to be, but shows a different side of Cruella that allows audiences to witness a more vulnerable side of her that gives insight into Estella's way of thinking. Stone crafts a version of Cruella whose been molded by tragedy early on in her life, along with wanting to pursue a career in fashion. She does a fantastic job of showing Estella's rise in stature while presenting moments that are meant to be a foreshadowing of her identity as De Vil. Along with Stone's performance, Emma Thompson commands the screen in her role as Estella's main rival and narcissistic head of a prestigious London fashion house named Baroness von Hellman. Thompson is not only terrific in her role but her character plays a pivotal role in Estella's transformation into Cruella with key secrets being unlocked in the story regarding the Baronesses ties to Estella's family. Both Joel Fry and Paul Walter Hauser prove to be a blast to watch as Cruella's henchmen Jasper and Horace Badun with the latter giving audiences flashbacks to Bob Hopkins Smee from Steven Spielberg's Hook. Both do exceptionally well at playing the young thieves who grew up with Estella after the death of her adoptive mother, along with adding a significant amount of energy to the film with their charismatic performances as De Vil's bumbling sidekicks. Kirby Howell-Baptiste impresses as Estella's childhood friend Anita, who works as a gossip columnist with Kayvan Novak doing equally well as Roger Dearly, a lawyer working for the Baroness who later becomes Anita's husband and songwriter after he's fired. Other noteworthy performances from the supporting cast include Emily Beecham in a small yet effective role as Estella's adoptive mother Catherine, Mark Strong as The Baroness valet John, John McCrea in a scene-stealing performance as Artie, a member of Cruella's entourage and owner of a vintage fashion shop, and Jamie Demetriou as Estella's initial boss. The cast for Cruella play a significant role in why the film works as well as it does in terms of being a generally fun and bizarre spin-off of the classic Disney story. The film thrives off the effort its main cast puts into making the film engaging to watch, and ultimately wouldn't be what it is without it. The performances of Stone is what elevates the film into being something genuinely exciting to watch with fans getting a kick out of key moments such as her delivery of the line "Cruella" in the film. Given that she went into the role knowing that her performance would face the inevitable comparison of being paired up against Glenn Close's work in the 1996 live-action movie, Stone doesn't attempt to replicate any of Close's work and gives her own interpretation of the character with the result being hugely effective. The best thing about the acting in Cruella is the filmmakers allow Stone complete freedom to be bad and for those watching the film, its delightfully fun to experience.

      Taking the helm of director for Cruella's story is Craig Gillespie, who previously helmed I Tonya. Gillespie brings the story of Cruella to life in a style that's visually dazzling with him giving the 1970's atmosphere of London a punk rock vibe to it. The films costume and set-designs are breathtaking with both certain to receive some well-deserved nominations at next year's Oscar ceremony. Through the use of both, Gillespie effectively places audiences in the 1970's during its punk rock movement with the elegant costumes representing the whole fashion element of the plot. The films cinematography can best be summed up as stunning with its overall look being simply gorgeous to look at from start to finish. The score by Nicholas Britell does much in adding to the films wild energy, as well as the bizarreness of its story. The soundtrack carries numerous songs that were popular during the 1970's including a wide-variety of picks ranging from Nina Simone's "Feeling Good" to Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy", and the Door's "Five to One" with an original song "Call Me Cruella", performed by Florence and the Machine, being played during the end credits. The films use of CGI is handled impressively with the appropriate amount of restraint with the use of real puppies in the film blending seamlessly together with the shots of CGI, making the audience try to figure out which is reality and what is done by computer. With the film boasting a running time of 133 minutes, Cruella's pace is one that's slow but allows the story to gradually unfold with Gillespie heavily utilizing Emma Stone's voice as narrator for the story along with it being broken up into several different acts representing the different stages of Cruella's life. As far as the films directing goes, Gillespie does a stellar job of handling the story, as well as creating an atmosphere that serves as being a darkly twisted visual feast with him being able to generate the best performances out of his talented cast. 

      The screenplay by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara, from a story by Aline Bridge McKenna, Kelly Marcel, and Steve Zissis delivers a strong effort in providing fans with the questions they may have regarding Cruella's past, how she got to her position of power, and her obsession with wanting to kidnap the puppies in order to make a fur coat. The script for Cruella is full of twists and surprises that are intended to further explore the mythology of De Vil with her being revealed to be an orphan that desired to become a fashion designer, while setting up a potential sequel that's best summed up as being a remake of 101 Dalmatians in live-action form. The most interesting choices that the writers take in regards to telling Cruella's story is showing how Cruella, Jasper, and Horace met along with Cruella's childhood being a traumatic experience that left her permanently scarred as well as being vengeful. Some of the key themes that the script for Cruella explores involve grief, the death of a parent, fashion, being different, wealth, revenge, power, and greed. The most interesting approach that the story for Cruella takes is how the film essentially takes someone whose viewed as being a unredeemable villain and make them into a misunderstood tragic type figure. That's the angle that the writers take with Stone's version of Cruella and is one that's done effectively well, though will unquestionably leave fans divided on whether they accept the backstory being given on the character of De Vil or treat it as a thrilling piece of fan-fiction. With Cruella, Disney appears to use the same type of formulaic structure with its main character that was done with Angelina Jolie's Malificent films, as well as Todd Philip's Joker in which the main characters are presented as being misunderstood outcasts, who end up being a product of a cold and heartless world that surrounds them as they struggle to survive in it. Although their criminal actions make them appear as being dislikeable figures, they are shown to be carrying a significant amount of pain and trauma in their lives that are what ultimately pushed them over the edge. The character of Cruella is shown as still being haunted by the death of her adoptive mother, and attempts to put the past behind her until a big reveal in the story brings her past railing back, along with fully powering her desire for revenge. When the switch begins to settle in with Estella's character transforming into the familiar persona of De Vil, the story becomes even more thrilling and devilishly fun with Stone's performance. The small moments in the film that add to the character of Estella are the ones in which she remains in traditional Cruella mode with her directing insults towards Horace and Jasper along with her later realizing that her mistreatment of them is wrong and refrains from doing so. The rivalry between Estella and Baroness is well-handled and entertaining to watch with audiences finding themselves enjoying Estella's scheme of plotting revenge against the latter. The strongest trait that the script for Cruella carries is that its both thoughtful and clever in how it aspires to expand on the mythology of Cruella De Vil without tarnishing the legacy of the original story. The audience finds themselves becoming invested in the characters here, and manage to walk away with a different kind of perception regarding Cruella. With the film serving as being a prequel to 101 Dalmatians, the filmmakers knew that the only way the film could work is if they took the character of De Vil and presented her in a form that audiences had never seen before prior. The end result is a more humanized version of Estella, that provides insight into Cruella's up and coming days as a rebellious thief turned fashion designer. 

      As well done and told as the story for Disney's Cruella comes across as being, the question still remains after the film ends regarding whether an origin story based on  De Vil was needed. While the film itself is wonderfully acted and visually stunning to watch, one can't help but feel that the current trend of taking some of the most famous villains in Cinema and humanizing them is not a necessary trend that needs to be extended to every classic antagonist, particularly in Disney's long catalogue of films. Sometimes it's not having all the answers regarding the motives and pasts of the characters in question that make them more effective. The backstory that Gillespie and the writers provide for Cruella is strong enough to where the most ardent of 101 Dalmations fans can embrace it as a worthy prequel. As well told as the story is, it's by no means perfect as it has moments where the story feels a bit slow moving in the middle with some of the CGI shots of the puppies appearing as being spotty. Although those are issues that are visible in the surface when watches the film along with the soundtrack feeling a bit over-the-top as it tries excessively hard in pushing the whole punk rock aspect of the story, these are minor faults that are greatly overshadowed by the films rich elements such as the fantastic performance of both Stone and the cast as a whole, along with the gorgeous look of the film. Disney's Cruella never answers the question of why we needed a prequel to 101 Dalmations, but it surely goes above and beyond with the efforts of the cast and crew to make it an honorably charming yet bizarre tale of an anti-heroine who is shown to be a little less cruel and heartless than what audiences previously thought of her. The soul of the film lies within the performances of Stone and Thompson with the scenes showing their characters locking horns being its strongest moments with the dazzling visual appearance of the film complimenting the story. Combined with an effective soundtrack, breathtaking costume design, and steady directing that carries passion for both the main character and overall story, Disney's Cruella succeeds in taking a well-known villainous and showing her in a different light, even if its choice of doing so wasn't insisted upon by fans. It's a much better film than what one expects it to be and ultimately be pretty fun to watch if fans can overlook the fact that its existence is basically pointless.

Final Verdict: See it either in theaters or when it lands on Disney Plus for free. 

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Images Courtesy of Disney