Rated PG-13 for some violence and thematic elements.
Now Playing In Theaters and Streaming on Disney+ for $30 Premium Access In 1970s London, young Estella (Emma Stone) dreams of being a fashion designer. Right from birth, she’s stood out from the crowd, always doing or saying things that the system never wanted to hear. When this causes her to get kicked out of school, a series of unfortunate events ensue that result in her losing her mother and ending up on the streets as an orphan. Though left on her own, she does come across two street urchins, Jasper (Joel Fry) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser). As they grow into young adults, the trio are successful thieves. But Estella longs to fulfill her dream of being a world-famous fashion designer. She does eventually catch the eye of London’s richest designer, known only as the Baroness (Emma Thompson), and her rebellious spirit lands her the job she’s been working towards. At first, it seems like her dreams are finally coming true. However, she soon discovers the Baroness’s true colors, and finds herself constantly swept to the side thanks to her boss’s selfish desires. Finally tired of being treated as the butt of society, Estella decides to put her in her place by designing her own dresses and crash various events under a new persona, the bad but brilliant Cruella. Well, here we are at not only another Disney live action reimagining, but their second attempt to reframe a classic villain as a modern anti-hero after 2014’s Maleficent. This time, it’s the memorable villain Cruella de Vill from 101 Dalmatians. Probably the biggest question with this was how the film was going to give us a reason to care for someone who’s only motivation was to kill and skin Dalmatian puppies. Unfortunately, Disney’s attempt to answer that question seems to be to reframe her as someone who lives in the punk era 70s, but has the mind of a modern rebellious spirit. The result changes her from a memorable villain to a despicable protagonist, and I don’t mean that in a good way. She, and the movie she headlines, end up being rather unpleasant and quite possibly the worst live action remake from Disney yet. It’s really hard for me to say if Emma Stone gave a good performance because her portrayal of Cruella is so unlikable. Everything she does paints her as someone who’s less worth rooting for than the animated character she shares her name with. Though she tries to give good energy and looks like she’s enjoying herself, I can’t give sympathy to a character who’s arch is solely to prove why she’s deserving of being the center of attention. Same goes for Emma Thompson. It seems another one of Disney’s ideas to make Cruella sympathetic is to pit her against someone who more evil by comparison. But as a result, the Baroness is such a one-dimensional, mustache twirling villain that there’s absolutely nothing for us to connect to. She’s a monster, and that’s about it. You could say that was intentional so we could root for Cruella, but that doesn’t make up for was is still bad characterization. Aside from the insufferable characters, the movie as a whole gives off an air of obnoxiousness that very nearly drove me out of the theater. Between Craig Gillespis’s overly stylized direction and the constant presence of counter-culture rock and punk songs, it made me feel like the black sheep in a crowd getting pointed at for being different. It’s not so often that a movie rubs me the wrong way like that. It’s not helped by how poorly the story is constructed. As a whole, Cruella’s origin is at times hard to follow and other times just makes no sense. There are several instances where things happen not because of natural story progression, but because the script needed it to happen at that specific time. It makes the whole thing feel exactly what it is; a piece of telegraphed corporate product designed to tap specific buttons in the audience. It’s also hilarious how much of the film feels like a rip-off of 2019’s Joker. Just by watching the film’s trailer, you can easily make the comparison. But upon watching it, there are some story elements that feel copied beat for beat from that much better movie. It’s almost like Disney saw how Joker made over a billion dollars and said, “we want that money. Let’s make our own Joker.” And with that comparison comes my biggest warning for my readers. Despite being produced by Disney and based on a character from a kids cartoon, this is NOT a kids movie. There are many depictions of alcohol and criminal activity that never feel appropriate for the little ones. For example, Cruella gets her dream fashion job by breaking into her boss’s office, downing his liquor, then trashing a window display in a way that the Baroness loves. What kind of message is Disney sending to kids by saying you’ll get what you want by getting hammered and committing vandalism. Then there’s the cherry on top. The final grievance that elevated the film from just being bad to being the insufferable experience that it is; the mid-credit scene. Without spoiling what it is, I’ll say that it’s a contrived scene that stupidly attempts to connect this film with 101 Dalmatians. After it was over, I was left slack-jawed. I almost couldn’t believe what I had seen, but definitely new that it was terrible. Even if there are things to be admired in Cruella, they are far overshadowed by the film’s many, many flaws. It amounts to little more than an unnecessary, mean-spirited piece of corporate trash, attempting to create an origin for the classic villain while simultaneously undoing what made her great in the name of repositioning her as modern icon of counter-culture. It’s certainly not worth the $30 premium access fee on Disney+, and hardly feels worth the price of a regular ticket.
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Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and language.
Following their last adventure, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his wife Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) are living off-the-grid with their son Brian. Their peace and quite, however, is soon interrupted when friends Tej (Ludacris), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) arrive with a message from their boss Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) that seems to imply the return of their old enemy Cipher (Charlize Theron). This sends them on a global adventure to find and retrieve a mysterious device that threatens the entire world. As they travel from one country to the next, they cross paths with Dom’s criminal brother Jakob (John Cena), who is also trying to obtain the device in an attempt to conquer the world. Dom and his family will have to reach new heights, both figuratively and literally, to confront their pasts and save the world. Though it could have had a sincere send-off with 2015’s Furious 7, that film’s larger than expected box office gross showed that the franchise wasn’t going anywhere for a long time. The funny thing is, since that installment, the series has never been better. With a variety of new directors and an increase in physics defying action scenes, the later films stand as the best of them all. Now we’re at the latest installment, simply titled F9. The team’s newest adventure reaches new levels of absurdity, with action and mayhem created using powerful magnets and a sequence that takes our heroes to space itself. Yep, you heard me right. We literally get to see them shoot themselves into Earth orbit using a car outfitted with rocket engines. It’s probably the most insane stunt the series has attempted yet. And yet, these improbable sequences never stop the movie from being any less amazing to watch. Let’s be clear, the Fast & Furious movies were never high cinematic art. They’re blockbuster action films designed to fulfill audience fantasies of performing death-defying stunts with fast, fancy cars. But if a movie is able to get me to laughing and cheering at the screen like people in showings of Avengers: Endgame, then it qualifies as a great movie. Even though the action scenes defy all known laws of physics, they’re probably the best in the series. Part of the appeal is the fact that the action defies physics. They’re something that we know can’t actually be done, but it’s really cool to see what they could possibly look like. There’s no way a car can use a rope from a jungle bridge to swing across a chasm, or magnets can be used to grab a car with a car and throw it at a bad guy, but there’s no denying that they look totally awesome. It’s also the immense chemistry of the central cast that helps the film stay highly enjoyable. At this point, you know that even if the movie falters, the interactions between the cast members will always keep it afloat. This time around, they’ve added John Cena into the mix. It’s been fun watching him stretch his acting chops over the last few years, proving that he’s just as talented as fellow wrestler turned actor Dwayne Johnson. Cena fits almost perfectly into the role of Dom’s previously unmentioned brother Jakob. He plays the villain role of the movie very well, and forms a convincing rivalry with Vin Diesel. The familial hurt between the two feels genuine, and you get the sense that they really don’t want to hurt each other despite being on opposite sides of the central conflict. Hopefully he becomes a regular character in future films. F9 keeps the Fast & Furious franchise hurtling further towards being a flat-out cartoon, and it’s an absolute joy to behold. Logic need not apply in the series’s latest parade of insane action set-pieces, proving that the filmmakers are willing to do anything to one-up themselves with every new entry. It will be interesting to see how the next film pushes the characters even further. But if it involves a full-on rocket car chase in Earth’s orbit, that would be amazing. |