Early Reviews Of ‘Cruella’ Are Very Positive

Almost two weeks before its official premiere, several critics revealed their opinion on the upcoming Disney film Cruella directed by Craig Gillespie. Many of the critics who saw an early screening of the film have praised it for having a phenomenal performance by Emma Stone as the title character and being more outlandish and a massive improvement over the other live-action remakes of Disney’s classic animated movies.

Cruella serves as an origin story for the iconic villain Cruella de Vil from the 1961 animated Disney film One Hundred and One Dalmatians and focuses on the title character who is also originally named Estella, as she becomes a rival fashion designer for her arrogant former boss (Emma Thompson). As the film goes on, she turns into a notorious criminal alongside her infamous dimwitted lackeys Horace (Paul Walter Hauser) and Jasper (Joel Fry) and becomes obsessed with Dalmatian fur coats, eventually changes her name from Estella to Cruella, becoming the iconic Disney villain in the process. This is the second live action remake from Disney to feature the origin story of one of its villains after Maleficent from 2013. However, unlike Maleficent, it seems that most critics have been more positive towards Cruella for being more mature and original with its story.

Several critics have favorably compared the comedy film to The Devil Wears Prada from 2006, which incidentally features the same writer Aline Brosh McKenna. Film critic Joel Meares has even made this comparison, stating in tweet, “I generally have 0 interest in live-action remakes and/or villain origin stories but… have seen #Cruella and it’s SO FRIGGIN GOOD. Slaps so hard my face is still beet-red a day later. If Devil Wears Prada meets The Witches meets Death Becomes Her sounds like your jam, see it. Also as much as I love Disney+, do yourself — and those clothes and that soundtrack — a favor, and see it on the big screen (safely).”

Cruella will be officially released on May 28.